Cell-cell heterogeneity in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase biases early cell fate priming in .

Glucose metabolism is a key factor characterizing the cellular state during multicellular development. In metazoans, the metabolic state of undifferentiated cells correlates with growth/differentiation transition and cell fate determination. Notably, the cell fate of the Amoebozoa species is biased by the presence of glucose and is also correlated with early differences in intracellular ATP.

Multi-color fluorescence live-cell imaging in Dictyostelium discoideum.

The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, a member of the Amoebozoa, has been extensively studied in cell and developmental biology. D. discoideum is unique in that they are genetically tractable, with a wealth of data accumulated over half a century of research.