Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026
10:40
Assessment of Dictyostelium discoideum Response to Acute Mechanical Stimulation
Published on: November 9, 2017
7.5K
Chemotactic Blebbing in Dictyostelium Cells
Evgeny Zatulovskiy1, Robert R Kay2
1Department of Biology, Stanford University, 337 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. evgeny@stanford.edu.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|June 9, 2016
Summary
Researchers explored chemotactic blebbing in Dictyostelium discoideum, a process using internal pressure for cell migration. New methods quantify this blebbing response, revealing its role alongside traditional F-actin polymerization in cell movement.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Microbiology
Background:
- Dictyostelium discoideum is a model organism for eukaryotic cell chemotaxis.
- Chemotaxis is traditionally attributed to F-actin polymerization.
- Eukaryotic cells, including Dictyostelium, can use intracellular hydrostatic pressure for migration via blebs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe methods for studying chemotactic blebbing in Dictyostelium.
- To analyze the intensity of blebbing response under various conditions and strains.
- To compare bleb-driven and F-actin-driven cell motility and explore underlying molecular mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Cyclic-AMP shock assay to quantify global blebbing response to uniform stimulation.
- Under-agarose migration assay to induce and analyze directional blebbing in chemoattractant gradients.
- Comparison of F-actin-driven and bleb-driven cell motility modes.
Main Results:
- Two novel methods for studying chemotactic blebbing are presented.
- The methods allow quantification of blebbing response intensity.
- The study facilitates comparison between F-actin-driven and bleb-driven chemotaxis.
Conclusions:
- Chemotactic blebbing is a significant mechanism for cell migration in Dictyostelium.
- The described assays enable detailed investigation of blebbing dynamics and regulation.
- This research provides tools to explore the molecular basis of bleb-driven chemotaxis.
Keywords:
3D migrationAgarose overlayBleb-driven motilityBlebbingChemotaxisCyclic-AMP shockDictyosteliumMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
2.7K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
2.7K
01:27Diversity of Protists IV
1.9K
Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...
1.9K
01:27Chemotaxis in E. coli
1.2K
Chemotaxis in Escherichia coli is a sensory-driven motility mechanism that enables bacteria to navigate chemical gradients, moving toward beneficial environments while avoiding harmful conditions. This process relies on a signal transduction system integrating external chemical cues with flagellar motor control.Chemoreceptors and Signal DetectionE. coli detects chemical gradients through methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs), which are membrane-bound chemoreceptors that sense attractants...
1.2K
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
4.0K
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
4.0K
01:28Types of Membrane Protrusions
3.9K
The protrusion of the cell surface is an initial step for several cellular processes, including cell migration, phagocytosis, and neurite outgrowth. These membrane protrusions are a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. The most widely observed cell protrusions include lamellipodia, pseudopodia, filopodia, microvilli, invadopodia, and podosomes. These protrusions can be of two types — static or dynamic.
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections...
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections...
3.9K
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
6.1K
Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon...
6.1K