Dictyostelium Discoideum
Dictyostelium Discoideum - 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.
06:09
Studying the Protein Quality Control System of D. discoideum Using Temperature-controlled Live Cell Imaging
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2016
The social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum has recently been established as a system to study protein misfolding and proteostasis. Here, we describe a new imaging-based methodology to study temperature-induced protein aggregation and the cellular stress response in D. discoideum.
FAQs
Cyclic AMP acts as a signal that links starving cells to directed movement toward one another. As bacteria become scarce, this signaling helps convert separate cellular responses into coordinated aggregation. The resulting chemotactic behavior provides a tractable way to examine how cells detect and respond to signals, making the organism useful for studying cell signaling and collective movement.
Starvation shifts the system from independent, unicellular behavior toward coordinated multicellular development. Cells aggregate, organize into a slug, and ultimately produce a fruiting body containing resistant spores. This progression lets biologists examine how cooperation, developmental organization, and gene regulation operate as cells alter their relationships and functions across distinct stages of one life cycle.
They show how a population responds collectively when resources are limited. The slug represents an organized intermediate state, while the fruiting body supports release of resistant spores. Comparing these stages helps researchers connect environmental stress with multicellular organization, developmental decisions, and survival strategies rather than examining starvation only as an isolated cellular event.
Because its genetics and life cycle are tractable, researchers can connect biological changes with transitions between unicellular growth, aggregation, slug formation, and fruiting-body development. That combination supports investigations of gene regulation alongside observable changes in behavior and organization. It is especially valuable when a study needs to relate cellular mechanisms to whole-organism developmental outcomes.
Work with this amoeba extends into chemotaxis, cell signaling, cytoskeletal dynamics, host-microbe interactions, and cooperation. These areas use its changing cellular organization to ask how cells move, communicate, maintain structure, and interact with microbes. Findings can also inform broader thinking about cellular organization and disease mechanisms, while remaining grounded in a biologically tractable model.
Dictyostelium discoideum makes that relationship visible within one life cycle. Researchers can examine individual amoebae during signal-directed movement and then follow how their collective behavior produces a slug and fruiting body. This continuity helps relate cell-level processes, such as signaling and cytoskeletal dynamics, to larger patterns of development and cooperation.