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Chemotaxis: Under Agarose Assay

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Cytoskeleton

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2364))

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Abstract

The unicellular eukaryotic amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, represents a superb model for examining the molecular mechanism of chemotaxis. Under vegetative conditions, the amoebae are chemotactically responsive to pterins, such as folic acid. Under starved conditions, they lose their sensitivity to pterins and become chemotactically responsive to cAMP. As an NIH model system, Dictyostelium offers a variety of advantages in studying chemotaxis, including ease of growth, genetic tractability, and the conservation of mammalian signaling pathways. In this chapter, we describe the use of the under-agarose chemotaxis assay to understand the signaling pathways controlling directional sensing and motility in Dictyostelium discoideum. Given the similarities between Dictyostelium and mammalian cells, this allows us to dissect conserved pathways involved in eukaryotic chemotaxis.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, New York, NY, USA

    Derrick Brazill

  2. The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Derrick Brazill

  3. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    David A. Knecht

Authors
  1. Derrick Brazill
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  2. David A. Knecht
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Derrick Brazill or David A. Knecht .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor Emeritus, Brooklyn College – CUNY, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Ray H. Gavin

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© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Brazill, D., Knecht, D.A. (2022). Chemotaxis: Under Agarose Assay. In: Gavin, R.H. (eds) Cytoskeleton . Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2364. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1661-1_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1661-1_16

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1660-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1661-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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