Dictyostelium discoideum, termed a “social amoeba,” exists as a single-celled amoeboid protozoan that initiates chemotaxis and multicellular aggregation when faced with starvation conditions in its environment. Prior to the formation of a motile slug structure, individual D. discoideum clones can pick up bacteria to inoculate their new habitat with a food source and then carry them along into the fruiting body, a behavior termed “farming.” We have been working to carefully characterize the specificity of associations between D. discoideum clones and the bacteria they carry. Investigation of the biochemical interactions between individual isolates and their carried crop bacteria will allow for a deeper understanding of the nuances of the “farming” association.

Investigations of the unique farming behavior of Dictyostelium discoideum

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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