Motive force of the migrating pseudoplasmodium of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum

1980 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-64
Author(s):  
K. Inouye ◽  
I. Takeuchi

Motive forces of migrating pseudoplasmodia (slugs) of Dictyostelium discoideum were determined by application of a double-chamber method. The motive force of a whole slug was proportional to its volume, the value per unit volume being 5.85 × 10(−6) dyne/cm3 (58.5 N cm-3). The motive force was independent of temperature (13.5–26 degrees C) and decreased during prolonged migration. Motive force per unit volume of an anterior isolate of a slug was much larger than that of a posterior isolate, their weighted mean being approximately equal to that of a whole slug. These results agree well with the predictions previously made using a model based on analyses of migrating velocities of slugs. The motive force per unit volume of either isolate was soon regulated to reach the normal value of an intact slug after several hours of isolation, concurrently with conversion of cell types between prestalk and prespore cells. The possibility that motive force of each cell is determined by its cell type is discussed in relation to cell sorting.

1969 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 815-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. I. Miller ◽  
J. Quance ◽  
J M Ashworth

1. The slug stage of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum has been shown to contain two types of cell, which differ in buoyant density. 2. These two cell types also differ in cytological appearance and histochemical behaviour and have very different enzymic activities. 3. Evidence is presented suggesting that the lighter of these two cell types corresponds to cells from the posterior region of the slug (pre-spore cells) and the heavier of the two to cells from the anterior region of the slug (pre-stalk cells).


1984 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. McDonald ◽  
A.J. Durston

Synchronized cells of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum were prepared by mitotic wash-off. Cell counts and DNA synthesis measurements indicated a high degree of synchrony. Cells from each phase of the cell cycle were fluorescently labelled and mixed with unlabelled asynchronous cells. Cells that were in S-phase and very early G2 at the onset of starvation demonstrated a strong tendency to sort to the tip of the subsequent slugs. With reference to these results and published evidence, we discuss the possible role of cell-cycle-related adhesion differences in cell sorting.


1970 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Watts ◽  
J. M. Ashworth

1. A simple axenic medium suitable for the growth of the myxamoebae of a strain of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum is described. 2. Procedures suitable for the growth of this strain in liquid and on solid media are described. 3. Conditions suitable for initiating the cell differentiation of myxamoebae grown axenically are described.


Genetics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Smith ◽  
A A Gooley ◽  
G C Hudson ◽  
K L Williams

Abstract Electrophoretic variants which arise from amino acid substitutions, leading to charge differences between proteins are ubiquitous and have been used extensively for genetic analysis. Less well documented are polymorphisms in the size of proteins. Here we report that a group of glycoproteins, which share a common carbohydrate epitope, vary in size in different isolates of the cellular slime mould, Dictyostelium discoideum. One of these proteins, PsA, a developmentally regulated prespore-specific surface glycoprotein, has previously been shown to exist in three size forms due to allelic variation at the pspA locus on linkage group I. In this report, a second glycoprotein, PsB, which is also prespore specific but found inside prespore cells, is studied. PsB maps to linkage group II and exhibits at least four different sizes in the isolates examined. We propose that the size polymorphisms are the product of allelic variation at the pspB locus, due to differences in the number of repeat units.


1978 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-243
Author(s):  
M. Darmon ◽  
J. Barra ◽  
P. Brachet

The role of cAMP phosphodiesterase in the cAMP-mediated aggregation of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum was investigated with a morphogenetic mutant defective in phosphodiesterase production. Mutant cells become capable of aggregating normally when incubated in the presence of exogenous phosphodiesterase isolated from Idictyostelium or rat brain. Direct contact between enzyme and the cell membrane is not required for this phenotypic suppression. The aggregateless character of this strain presumably results from an over-accumulation of cAMP in the extracellular medium since aggregation can be induced in the absence of added phosphodiesterase under conditions facilitating diffusion of the nucleotide. This suggests that phosphodiesterase is not involved in the generation or recognition of cAMP signals, but that the enzyme is essential in the control of the cAMP signal-to-noise ratio.


1984 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-165
Author(s):  
M. Maeda

The effects of low temperature on morphogenesis and cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum were examined. During incubation at 5 degrees C, the vegetative and preaggregation cells never developed, but cell masses at the aggregation or slug stage developed to form hemispherical, or dumbbell-shaped multicellular structures. By staining with FITC-antispore IgG, the structures formed after 10 days of incubation of tipped aggregates at 5 degrees C were found to be composed of 90% spores, 5% prespore cells and 5% non-stained cells. Since only 20% of the total cells constituting the tipped aggregate had been prespore cells at the beginning of incubation, this showed that spore differentiation proceeded even at low temperature, while stalk differentiation was completely inhibited. Similar results were obtained when the cells were incubated at 3 degrees C. However, at 0 degree C, morphogenesis and cellular differentiation did not occur, although most of the prespore cells at the late culmination stage differentiated incompletely into spores. Possible reasons for the high proportion of spores being induced by low temperature are discussed.


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