Abstract
Dictyostelium discoideum has proven an excellent model for the study of eukaryotic chemotaxis. During growth in its native environment, Dictyostelium phagocytose bacteria and fungi for primary nutrient capture. Growing Dictyostelium can detect these nutrient sources through chemotaxis toward the metabolic by-product folate. Although Dictyostelium grow as individual cells, nutrient depletion induces a multicellular development program and a separate chemotactic response pathway. During development, Dictyostelium synthesize and secrete cAMP, which serves as a chemoattractant to mobilize and coordinate cells for multicellular formation and development. Separate classes of GPCRs and Gα proteins mediate chemotactic signaling to the chemically distinct ligands. We discuss common and separate component responses of Dictyostelium to folate and cAMP during growth and development, and the advantages and disadvantages for each. As examples, we present biochemical assays to characterize the chemoattractant-induced kinase activations of mTORC2 and the ERKs.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health. We are indebted to the helpful comments and interest of Drs. Robert Kay and Carole Bewley.
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Meena, N.P., Kimmel, A.R. (2016). Biochemical Responses to Chemically Distinct Chemoattractants During the Growth and Development of Dictyostelium . In: Jin, T., Hereld, D. (eds) Chemotaxis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1407. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3480-5_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3480-5_11
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Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
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