Genetics of Growth in Axenic Medium of the Cellular Slime Mould Dictyostelium discoideum

Nature ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 247 (5437) ◽  
pp. 142-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEITH LESLIE WILLIAMS ◽  
RICHARD H. KESSIN ◽  
PETER C. NEWELL
Keyword(s):  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Axenic Medium ◽  
Cellular Slime Mould ◽  
Slime Mould ◽  
Cellular Slime

scholarly journals Growth of myxamoebae of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum in axenic culture

1970 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Watts ◽  
J. M. Ashworth
Keyword(s):  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Axenic Culture ◽  
Axenic Medium ◽  
Cellular Slime Mould ◽  
Slime Mould ◽  
Solid Media ◽  
Cellular Slime

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.

scholarly journals Glycogen synthetase and the control of glycogen synthesis in the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum during the growth (myxamoebal) phase

1972 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 617-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Weeks ◽  
J. M. Ashworth
Keyword(s):  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Glycogen Content ◽  
Glycogen Synthesis ◽  
Axenic Medium ◽  
Glycogen Accumulation ◽  
Cellular Slime Mould ◽  
Slime Mould ◽  
Glycogen Synthetase ◽  
Cellular Slime

1. Myxamoebae of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum Ax-2 that are grown in axenic medium containing 86mm-glucose have seven times the glycogen content of the same myxamoebae grown in the same medium but lacking added carbohydrate. 2. During the transition from the exponential to the stationary phase of growth in axenic medium containing glucose myxamoebae preferentially synthesize glycogen and can have as much as three times the glycogen content during the stationary phase as they have during the exponential phase of growth. 3. The rate of glycogen degradation by myxamoebae is, under all conditions of growth, small compared with the rate of glycogen accumulation and the changes in glycogen content thus reflect altered rates of glycogen synthesis. 4. There is no correlation between the rate of glycogen synthesis by myxamoebae and the glycogen synthetase content of the myxamoebae. 5. The activity of glycogen synthetase of D. discoideum is inhibited by a physiological concentration of ATP and this inhibition is overcome by glucose 6-phosphate. Both effects are especially marked at physiological concentrations of UDP-glucose. 6. The rate of glycogen accumulation by myxamoebae growing exponentially in axenic media can be satisfactorily accounted for in terms of the known intracellular concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate, UDP-glucose and glycogen synthetase. The rate-limiting factors controlling glycogen synthesis by the myxamoebae are apparently the substrate (UDP-glucose) and effector (glucose 6-phosphate and ATP) concentrations rather than the amount of the enzyme.

Control of cellular differentiation by temperature in the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum

1984 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-165
Author(s):  
M. Maeda
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Cellular Differentiation ◽  
Cellular Slime Mould ◽  
Slime Mould ◽  
Cellular Slime

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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