Small molecules and cell differentiation in Dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract

Dictyostelium is a microorganism found in soils that are known as the battle fields of chemical warfare. Genome analysis of Dictyostelium revealed that it has great potential for the production of small molecules, including secondary metabolites such as polyketides and terpenes. Polyketides are a large family of secondary metabolites which have a variety of structures. In accordance with their structural variety, polyketides have a plethora of biological activities, including antimicrobial, antifungal, and antitumor activities. Unsurprisingly, they have exceptional medical importance. Polyketides in nature work as protective compounds and /or function in pheromonal communication. Terpenes belong to another family of structurally diverse secondary metabolites which play roles in ecological interactions, including defence against predators and formation of mutually beneficial alliance with other organisms. Polyketides and terpenes work as intra-or inter-species signalling compounds, i.e. they play the role of a chemical language. However, in Dictyostelium, they work as paracrine signalling compounds which control the organism's multicellular morphogenesis. This review is primarily focused on the small molecules that regulate pattern formation in the slug stage of the organism and their biosynthetic pathways. Current in vivo understandings of polyketide DIF-1 induced cell differentiation and DIF-1-dependent/independent pathways are also discussed.

Development of the dictyostelid Polysphondylium violaceum does not require secreted cAMP

“…Here the Pvio chemoattractant glorin comes first to mind, since it was also reported to trigger gene expression in early Ppal development ( Asghar et al, 2011 ). However, Dictyostelids are known to synthesize a range of other secondary metabolites that affect cell differentiation ( Araki and Saito, 2019 ; Kikuchi et al, 2013 ; Kondo et al, 2019 ; Saito et al, 2022 ; Sasaki et al, 2020 ; Tsujioka et al, 2004 ) and focusing on one or a few compounds is therefore premature.…”

The WIPI Gene Family and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights From Yeast and Dictyostelium Models

“…Dictyostelium belongs to the amoebozoa group, and although this group of organisms diverged before the opistokonta (fungi and animals), it retains many features of animal cells that have been lost during the evolution of fungi. Cell motility and chemotaxis, phagocytosis and macropynocytosis are very similar to those observed in animal cells and Dictyostelium presents a multicellular stage that allows the study of cell differentiation and morphogenesis (see this series of reviews collected in a special issue dedicated to Dictyostelium in IJDB ( Araki and Saito, 2019 ; Batsios et al, 2019 ; Bloomfield, 2019 ; Bozzaro, 2019 ; Consalvo et al, 2019 ; Escalante and Cardenal-Muñoz, 2019 ; Farinholt et al, 2019 ; Fey et al, 2019 ; Fischer and Eichinger, 2019 ; Ishikawa-Ankerhold and Müller-Taubenberger, 2019 ; Jaiswal et al, 2019 ; Kawabe et al, 2019 ; Kay et al, 2019 ; Knecht et al, 2019 ; Kundert and Shaulsky, 2019 ; Kuspa and Shaulsky, 2019 ; Medina et al, 2019 ; Nanjundiah, 2019 ; Pal et al, 2019 ; Pearce et al, 2019 ; Pergolizzi et al, 2019 ; Schaf et al, 2019 ; Vines and King, 2019 ). Individual Dictyostelium cells ingest bacteria and yeasts in soil and the transition to a multicellular state, triggered when the food source is depleted, is accomplished by aggregation of preexisting cells.…”

The Structure-Activity Relationship of MPBD and Dictyoquinone Analogs in <i>Dictyostelium discoideum</i> Cell Aggregation

“…2) Cell development is thought to be aided by signaling molecules such as cAMP, 4-methyl-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol (MPBD), and dictyoquinone (2-hydroxy-5-methyl-6-pentyl-1,4-benzoquinone: DQ). 3) During the developmental stages, the cAMP serves several functions. It may act as a chemoattractant during cell aggregation, 4) inducing stalk formation 5) and regulating spore cell development.…”