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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
06:09
Studying the Protein Quality Control System of D. discoideum Using Temperature-controlled Live Cell Imaging
Published on: December 2, 2016
Consensus phylogeny of Dictyostelium
1Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
Experientia
|December 18, 1995
Summary
Dictyostelium discoideum evolution is clarified, showing a closer relationship to animals than previously thought. Molecular data consistently places this organism after yeasts but before the animal radiation in evolutionary history.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular phylogenetics
- Cellular slime molds
Background:
- Dictyostelium discoideum's evolutionary position relative to yeasts, fungi, plants, and animals remains debated.
- Previous studies using protein and ribosomal RNA analyses yielded conflicting phylogenetic placements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To resolve the evolutionary relationship of Dictyostelium discoideum using expanded molecular phylogenetic analyses.
- To establish a more accurate placement of Dictyostelium discoideum within the eukaryotic tree of life.
Main Methods:
- Physiological, morphological, and molecular characteristics were analyzed.
- Phylogenetic analyses were extended to include six additional proteins.
- Distance matrix and parsimony analyses were employed to generate a consensus phylogeny.
Main Results:
- Consistent molecular evidence indicates Dictyostelium discoideum shares a more recent common ancestor with metazoans than with yeasts.
- Phylogenetic analyses place Dictyostelium evolutionarily between Saccharomyces cerevisiae/Schizzosaccharomyces pombe and Caenorhabditis elegans.
Conclusions:
- Dictyostelium discoideum's evolutionary placement is more recent relative to metazoans than suggested by some prior analyses.
- The study provides a robust phylogenetic framework for understanding the evolution of early-diverging eukaryotes.
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