Making permanent stocks of dictyostelium

Controlling the Subcellular Localization of Signaling Proteins Using Chemically Induced Dimerization and Optogenetics

A given protein can perform numerous roles in a cell with its participation in protein complexes and distinct localization within the cell playing a critical role in its diverse functions. Thus, the ability to artificially dimerize proteins and recruit proteins to specific locations in a cell has become a powerful tool for the investigation of protein function and the understanding of cell biology. Here, we discuss two systems that have been used to activate signal transduction pathways, a chemically inducible dimerization (CID) and a light-inducible (LI) system to control signaling and cytoskeletal regulation in a spatial and temporal manner.

Transformation of dictyostelium with plasmid DNA by calcium phosphate precipitation

INTRODUCTIONDictyostelium discoideum is a unicellular eukaryote often referred to as a social ameba because it can form a multicellular structure when nutrient conditions are limiting. General principles for cell-to-cell communication, intracellular signaling, and cytoskeletal organization during cell motility have been derived from cellular and molecular studies of Dictyostelium and have been found to be conserved across all eukaryotes. The availability of a complete genome database and stocks of wild-type and mutant strains make D. discoideum an accessible and powerful model organism. Dictyostelium is amenable to genetic manipulations that require the introduction of DNA into cells, such as gene knockout, overexpression, antisense RNA expression, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene knockdown, and restriction-enzyme-mediated mutagenesis. Calcium phosphate precipitation is a commonly used method for DNA-mediated transformation in Dictyostelium. Calcium phosphate precipitation produces high-copy-number transformants and is often used for overexpression experiments in conjunction with the G418 resistance gene, which needs to be present at high levels to produce efficient selection.

Growth and maintenance of dictyostelium cells

INTRODUCTIONDictyostelium discoideum is a unicellular eukaryote often referred to as a "social ameba" because it can form a multicellular structure when nutrient conditions are limiting. General principles for cell-to-cell communication, intracellular signaling, and cytoskeletal organization during cell motility have been derived from cellular and molecular studies of Dictyostelium and have been found to be conserved across all eukaryotes. Dictyostelium also provides an excellent model system for the study of phagocytosis, the molecular basis of various human diseases, and the mechanisms of drug action. The availability of a complete genome database and stocks of wild-type and mutant strains make D. discoideum an accessible and powerful model organism. Most Dictyostelium strains used in the laboratory can be grown either with bacteria or in axenic medium. When grown in the presence of bacteria, cells double approximately every 4 h, whereas axenically grown cells double more slowly, every 8-12 h. The cells can be grown in a standard microbiology incubator or on the laboratory bench, provided the room temperature is consistently ~22°C. This protocol describes a variety of methods for growing and maintaining Dictyostelium.

Transformation of dictyostelium with plasmid DNA by electroporation

INTRODUCTIONDictyostelium discoideum is a unicellular eukaryote often referred to as a social ameba because it can form a multicellular structure when nutrient conditions are limiting. General principles for cell-to-cell communication, intracellular signaling, and cytoskeletal organization during cell motility have been derived from cellular and molecular studies of Dictyostelium and have been found to be conserved across all eukaryotes. The availability of a complete genome database and stocks of wild-type and mutant strains make D. discoideum an accessible and powerful model organism. Dictyostelium is amenable to genetic manipulations that require the introduction of DNA into cells, such as gene knockout, overexpression, antisense RNA expression, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene knockdown, and restriction-enzyme-mediated mutagenesis. This protocol describes the use of electroporation for DNA-mediated transformation in Dictyostelium.

Dictyostelium discoideum: The Social Ameba

INTRODUCTIONDictyostelium discoideum is a unicellular eukaryote often referred to as a "social ameba" because it can form a multicellular structure when nutrient conditions are limiting. D. discoideum and related organisms, known as the Dictyostelia, have been studied for almost 150 years. The cellular and molecular aspects of their multicellular lifestyle have been studied in detail, and general principles for cell-to-cell communication, intracellular signaling, and cytoskeletal organization during cell motility have been derived from this work and have been found to be conserved across all eukaryotes. The bacteriovore nature of the unicellular stage provides an excellent model in which to study phagocytosis and the mechanisms of bacterial virulence. D. discoideum has also been used successfully to explore the molecular basis of various human diseases, as well as the mechanisms of drug action and the pathways that lead to resistance to certain therapeutic agents. The availability of a complete genome sequence has further widened the scope of studies using D. discoideum. A large potential for secondary metabolism has become apparent, which opens the door to discovering new compounds with potential medical applications. Numerous putative orthologs of genes responsible for diseases in humans, but whose molecular functions are still uncharacterized, are present in the D. discoideum genome. Finally, the availability of community resources, including the genome database dictyBase and the Dicty Stock Center, makes D. discoideum an easily accessible and powerful model organism to study.