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Updated: Jul 27, 2025

Genetic Engineering of Dictyostelium discoideum Cells Based on Selection and Growth on Bacteria
Published on: January 25, 2019
Induction of Cell Differentiation of Isolated Cells in Dictyostelium discoideum by Low Extracellular pH
1Biological Laboratory, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka 573, Japan.
Abstract:
In Dictyostelium discoideum, the formation of multicellular masses is necessary for cell differentiation. However, the present study shows that amoebae of strain V12M2 efficiently differentiate to prespore or stalk cells under submerged incubation in a simple medium containing cAMP and salts without cell contact, only if the pH of the medium is maintained at acidic values; differentiation scarcely occurs in the neutral pH range. The optimum pH values for prespore and stalk cell differentiation are 5.1 and 4.5, respectively. In addition to the extracellular pH, Mg ions and the concentration of cAMP also affect the choice of the differentiation pathway. The time courses of differentiation of both cell types under optimum conditions are also presented.
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