Evidence for a Second Chemotactic System in the Cellular Slime Mold, Dictyostelium discoideum (original) (raw)

The study investigates the presence of a second chemotactic system in the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum. It demonstrates that a bacterial extract is significantly more effective in attracting vegetative amoebae compared to cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP), which is known to guide aggregating amoebae. The findings reveal that the chemotactic responses of these amoebae are stage-specific, with vegetative amoebae being attracted to the new bacterial substance, while aggregating amoebae are highly responsive to cyclic AMP.