Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Genetic Engineering of Dictyostelium discoideum Cells Based on Selection and Growth on Bacteria
Published on: January 25, 2019
What can Dictyostelium bring to the study of Pseudomonas infections?
Wanessa C Lima1, Emmanuelle Lelong, Pierre Cosson
1Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Bacterial infections are complex events. They are studied in a variety of simple model systems, using mammalian or non-mammalian hosts, all of which fail to reproduce fully the situation in infected patients. Each model presents a combination of conceptual, practical, and ethical advantages and disadvantages. In this review, we detail the use of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae as a model to study Pseudomonas aeruginosa. More specifically, our aim is to explore what this additional model system can bring to our understanding of Pseudomonas infections. The study of interactions between Dictyostelium amoebae and Pseudomonas provides a view of the selection pressures exerted by environmental predators on Pseudomonas. It also represents a unique system to assess the virulence of very large numbers of Pseudomonas strains.
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes
Atypical Pneumonia
Diversity of Protists IV
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria

