Appearance and developmental kinetics of a unique cell type inDictyostelium discoideum: Is it the gamete phase of sexual development?
✍ Scribed by O'Day, Danton H. ;McConachie, David R. ;Rivera, Jiji
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1987
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 575 KB
- Volume
- 242
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-104X
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✦ Synopsis
A unique cell type appears during sexual development in Dictyostelium discoideum. These tiny ameboid cells migrate actively making both short-lived and stable contacts with other cells. When fixed and stained with Hoechst 33258, each of these small amebae is seen to possess a condensed fluorescent nucleus. The cell type demonstrates a transient appearance in mated cultures appearing prior to 8 h and increasing to a peak of about 16% of the cell population by 10 h before decreasing in number. The decrease is correlated with the formation of pre-zygotic, binucleate cells. In single strain cultures, the small cells are present at 8 h and rise to a plateau by 10-12 h but do not decrease in number, and pre-zygotic binucleate cells do not form. The events of cell fusion were observed directly using time-lapse video microscopy. The unique structure, developmental kinetics, and behavior of the cell type suggest that it may be the gametic phase of D. discoideum.