Dictyostelium Model
Dictyostelium Model - Related Videos
07:48
Investigating the Function of Coronin A in the Early Starvation Response of Dictyostelium discoideum by Aggregation Assays
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Cited by 1 •
2016
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum undergoes a developmental transition into a multicellular organism when starved. The evolutionary conserved protein coronin A plays a crucial role in the initiation of development. Using aggregation assays as our main method, we aim to elucidate the role of coronin A in early development.
09:40
Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum
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Cited by 2 •
2011
Here, we describe detailed live cell imaging methods for investigating chemotaxis. We present fluorescence microscopic methods to monitor spatiotemporal dynamics of signaling events in migrating cells. Measurement of signaling events permits us to further understand how a GPCR-signaling network achieves gradient sensing of chemoattractants and controls directional migration of eukaryotic cells.
10:40
Assessment of Dictyostelium discoideum Response to Acute Mechanical Stimulation
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Cited by 2 •
2017
Here we describe methods for assessing cellular response to acute mechanical stimulation. In the microscopy-based assay, we examine localization of fluorescently-labeled biosensors following brief stimulation with shear flow. We also test activation of various proteins of interest in response to acute mechanical stimulation biochemically.
06:47
High-throughput Measurement of Dictyostelium discoideum Macropinocytosis by Flow Cytometry
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Cited by 8 •
2018
Macropinocytosis, large-scale non-specific fluid uptake, is important in many areas of clinical biology including immunology, infection, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, existing techniques have been adapted to allow high-throughput, single-cell resolution measurement of macropinocytosis in the macropinocytosis model organism Dictyostelium discoideum using flow cytometry.
06:08
Genetic Engineering of Dictyostelium discoideum Cells Based on Selection and Growth on Bacteria
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Cited by 18 •
2019
Dictyostelium discoideum is a popular model organism to study complex cellular processes such as cell migration, endocytosis, and development. The utility of the organism is dependent on the feasibility of genetic manipulation. Here, we present methods to transfect Dictyostelium discoideum cells that overcome existing limitations of culturing cells in liquid media.
FAQs
Cyclic AMP functions as the directional signal after starvation, guiding amoebae toward one another through chemotaxis. The resulting aggregation links extracellular communication to coordinated movement and multicellular organization. In the Dictyostelium model, this sequence lets investigators connect a defined signaling cue with migration and the later developmental transition, rather than examining these processes in unrelated stages.
Starvation changes the biological context from solitary feeding to collective development. During growth, individual cells obtain nutrients by feeding on bacteria; when food is absent, they aggregate and begin constructing a fruiting body. This switch provides a controlled way to study how environmental conditions can initiate cell signaling, migration, adhesion, and differentiation within one life cycle.
Spore and stalk formation create a clear example of cellular differentiation and division of labor. Some cells become spores, while others form supporting stalk tissue. This organization allows researchers to examine how initially similar amoebae adopt distinct developmental fates and how those fates contribute to a functioning multicellular structure.
Its accessible genetics allows investigators to examine biological processes in a genetically tractable organism, while live-cell imaging makes cellular behavior observable during development. Combining these approaches can connect genetic factors with signaling, movement, adhesion, and differentiation as they occur. The result is a practical system for studying dynamic processes rather than only fixed developmental outcomes.
A basic workflow follows the organism from bacterial feeding during growth to starvation-induced development. Investigators can observe chemotaxis toward cyclic AMP, aggregation, and subsequent fruiting-body formation, including spore and stalk differentiation. Because these stages occur within a simple life cycle, experiments can examine how a change in condition relates to successive cellular and developmental outcomes.
Researchers may choose this system when they need to study cell signaling, migration, adhesion, differentiation, or development in an experimentally accessible organism. It is also useful for investigating host-pathogen interactions. The model connects cellular behaviors with multicellular development while retaining a relatively simple life cycle and genetic tractability for controlled biological experiments.
Dictyostelium research can clarify mechanisms that are conserved across multicellular biology. Its developmental transition connects signaling, migration, adhesion, and differentiation in one experimentally tractable system, allowing researchers to study how coordinated cellular behaviors produce organized structures. These findings may provide context for understanding related biological mechanisms and disease-associated processes without requiring a more complex model at the outset.