image: D. discoideum developmental process. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum lives as single cells that feed on bacteria in soil. In response to starvation, it undergoes multicellular morphogenesis: single cells aggregate and undergo a defined morphogenetic program that culminates in a fruiting body, which comprises a rigid stalk that supports a collection of spores which are ultimately dispersed. This image relates to an article that appeared in the March 11, 2011, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Daniel J. Dickinson, at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., and colleagues was titled, "A Polarized Epithelium Organized by Beta- and Alpha-Catenin Predates Cadherin and Metazoan Origins." view more
Credit: Image courtesy of <i>Science</i>/AAAS