Moving the research forward: The best of british biology using the tractable model system dictyostelium discoideum

Robin S. B. Williams; Jonathan R. Chubb; Robert Insall; Jason S. King; Catherine J. Pears; Elinor Thompson; Cornelis J. Weijer

doi:10.3390/cells10113036

Moving the research forward: The best of british biology using the tractable model system dictyostelium discoideum

Robin S. B. Williams (Lead / Corresponding author), Jonathan R. Chubb, Robert Insall, Jason S. King, Catherine J. Pears, Elinor Thompson, Cornelis J. Weijer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

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Abstract

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum provides an excellent model for research across a broad range of disciplines within biology. The organism diverged from the plant, yeast, fungi and animal kingdoms around 1 billion years ago but retains common aspects found in these kingdoms. Dictyostelium has a low level of genetic complexity and provides a range of molecular, cellular, biochemical and developmental biology experimental techniques, enabling multidisciplinary studies to be carried out in a wide range of areas, leading to research breakthroughs. Numerous laboratories within the United Kingdom employ Dictyostelium as their core research model. This review introduces Dictyostelium and then highlights research from several leading British research laboratories, covering their distinct areas of research, the benefits of using the model, and the breakthroughs that have arisen due to the use of Dictyostelium as a tractable model system.

Original language	English
Article number	3036
Pages (from-to)	1-15
Number of pages	15
Journal	Cells
Volume	10
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10113036
Publication status	Published - 5 Nov 2021

Keywords

Au-tophagy
Chemotaxis
Development
Dictyostelium discoideum
Macropinocytosis
Phagocytosis
Slime mould
Social amoeba

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Medicine

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10.3390/cells10113036Licence: CC BY

Final published versionFinal published version, 2.06 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Moving the research forward: The best of british biology using the tractable model system dictyostelium discoideum",

abstract = "The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum provides an excellent model for research across a broad range of disciplines within biology. The organism diverged from the plant, yeast, fungi and animal kingdoms around 1 billion years ago but retains common aspects found in these kingdoms. Dictyostelium has a low level of genetic complexity and provides a range of molecular, cellular, biochemical and developmental biology experimental techniques, enabling multidisciplinary studies to be carried out in a wide range of areas, leading to research breakthroughs. Numerous laboratories within the United Kingdom employ Dictyostelium as their core research model. This review introduces Dictyostelium and then highlights research from several leading British research laboratories, covering their distinct areas of research, the benefits of using the model, and the breakthroughs that have arisen due to the use of Dictyostelium as a tractable model system.",

keywords = "Au-tophagy, Chemotaxis, Development, Dictyostelium discoideum, Macropinocytosis, Phagocytosis, Slime mould, Social amoeba",

author = "Williams, {Robin S. B.} and Chubb, {Jonathan R.} and Robert Insall and King, {Jason S.} and Pears, {Catherine J.} and Elinor Thompson and Weijer, {Cornelis J.}",

note = "Funding Information: Funding: R.S.B.W. received funding from the Wellcome Trust, BBSRC, NC3Rs and Vitaflo Ltd. for the described studies. J.S.K. is funded by The Royal Society Fellowship (UF140624) as well as by studentships from the BBSRC and MRC. J.R.C{\textquoteright}s recent work was supported by a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowship (202867/Z/16/Z) and a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council project grant (BB/K017004/1). Work in CJP{\textquoteright}s lab is funded by NC3Rs (NC/M000834/1 and NCK500355/1 CrackIt Solutions Funding) and MRC (MR/P028284/1). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

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AU - King, Jason S.

AU - Pears, Catherine J.

AU - Thompson, Elinor

AU - Weijer, Cornelis J.

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ER -

Moving the research forward: The best of british biology using the tractable model system dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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