Regulation of aggregate size and pattern by adenosine and caffeine in cellular slime molds.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Multicellularity in cellular slime molds is achieved by aggregation of several hundreds to thousands of cells. In the model slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, adenosine is known to increase the aggregate size and its antagonist caffeine reduces the aggregate size. However, it is not clear if the actions of adenosine and caffeine are evolutionarily conserved among other slime molds known to use structurally unrelated chemoattractants. We have examined how the known factors affecting aggregate size are modulated by adenosine and caffeine.

Result

Adenosine and caffeine induced the formation of large and small aggregates respectively, in evolutionarily distinct slime molds known to use diverse chemoattractants for their aggregation. Due to its genetic tractability,

SUBMITTER: Jaiswal P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3341216 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature