The model organism Dictyostelium discoideum is a member of the Amoebozoa, one of the six major -divisions of eukaryotes. Amoebozoa comprise a wide variety of amoeboid and flagellate organisms with single cells measuring from 5 μm to several meters across. They have adopted many different life styles and sexual behaviors and can live in all but the most extreme environments. This chapter provides an overview of Amoebozoan diversity and compares roads towards multicellularity within the Amoebozoa with inventions of multicellularity in other protist divisions. The chapter closes with a scenario for the evolution of Dictyostelid multicellularity from an Amoebozoan stress response.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4037983 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-302-2_1 | DOI Listing |
Environ Microbiol
January 2025
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The Canadian province of Alberta contains substantial oilsands reservoirs, consisting of bitumen, clay and sand. Extracting oil involves separating bitumen from inorganic particles using hot water and chemical diluents, resulting in liquid tailings waste with ecotoxicologically significant compounds. Ongoing efforts aim to reclaim tailings-affected areas, with protist colonisation serving as one assessment method of reclamation progress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
December 2024
Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 07360, Mexico.
Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is an enzyme that produces monomethyl arginine (MMA) and symmetric dimethyl arginine (sDMA), post-translational modifications that regulate several cellular processes, including stage conversion in parasitic protozoans. , the etiologic agent of human amebiasis, has two stages in its life cycle, the trophozoite, which is the replicative form, and the cyst, corresponding to the infective phase. The study of the molecular mechanisms that regulate differentiation in this parasite has been overdue because of a lack of efficient protocols for in vitro encystment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Mol Biol Lett
January 2025
Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
Proper adhesion of cells to their environment is essential for the normal functioning of single cells and multicellular organisms. To attach to the extracellular matrix (ECM), mammalian cells form integrin adhesion complexes consisting of many proteins that together link the ECM and the actin cytoskeleton. Similar to mammalian cells, the amoeboid cells of the protist Dictyostelium discoideum also use multiprotein adhesion complexes to control their attachment to the underlying surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Yamadaoka 2-1, Suita, 565-0871, Osaka, Japan.
Heterogeneity is a critical determinant for multicellular pattern formation. Although the importance of microscale and macroscale heterogeneity at the single-cell and whole-system levels, respectively, has been well accepted, the presence and functions of mesoscale heterogeneity, such as cell clusters with distinct properties, have been poorly recognized. We investigated the biological importance of mesoscale heterogeneity in signal-relaying abilities (excitability) in the self-organization of spiral waves of intercellular communications by studying the self-organized pattern formation in a population of Dictyostelium discoideum cells, a classical signal-relaying system model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Med Genomics
January 2025
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, The Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Naegleria fowleri, the causative agent of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), is commonly found in warm freshwater environments and can enter the brain through nasal passages during activities like swimming or ablution. PAM has a high fatality rate, raising concerns about its global health impact. In Pakistan, particularly in Karachi, a significant number of cases have been reported, often with no history of recreational water exposure, but with regular ablution using tap water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!