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Updated: Mar 27, 2026
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A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality
Published on: March 11, 2022
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On chirality of slime mould
Alice Dimonte1, Andrew Adamatzky2, Victor Erokhin1
1IMEM-National Research Council, Parma, Italy.
Bio Systems
|January 10, 2016
Summary
Slime mould Physarum polycephalum exhibits biased rightward turning in laboratory experiments. This study reveals consistent laterality in the fungi kingdom, adding to known asymmetric behaviors in other organisms.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Mycology
Background:
- Left-right patterning and lateralized behavior are common in plants and animals.
- The link between cellular chirality and large-scale asymmetry in multicellular organisms is not fully understood.
- Cellular chirality is hypothesized to be determined by the cytoskeleton.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate biased asymmetry in the slime mould Physarum polycephalum.
- To determine if this unicellular organism exhibits consistent laterality.
- To explore the presence of laterality in the fungi kingdom.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory experiments using a T-shaped maze.
- Observation and quantification of turning behavior in Physarum polycephalum.
- Statistical analysis of directional preference.
Main Results:
- Physarum polycephalum demonstrated a significant rightward turning bias, occurring in over 74% of trials.
- This finding represents the first documented instance of consistent laterality in fungi.
- The results align with previously observed asymmetric movement in various cell types.
Conclusions:
- Physarum polycephalum exhibits a consistent, biased laterality.
- This study expands the understanding of asymmetric behavior to the fungal kingdom.
- The precise mechanisms underlying the slime mould's directional preference require further investigation.
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