Evidence for a Second Chemotactic System in the Cellular Slime Mold, Dictyostelium discoideum

An unknown substance found in bacteria ( Escherichia coli ) is especially effective in attracting the vegetative amoebae of the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum . However, the aggregating amoebae are not attracted to it at all. On the other hand, the vegetative amoebae show very little chemotactic response to cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP), whereas the aggregating amoebae are exceptionally responsive to it. It is suggested that the new factor may be used in food seeking, whereas cyclic AMP, the chemotactic substance responsible for aggregation, is the acrasin of this species. The important point is that the amoebae are differentially stage-specific in their responses to these two chemotactic agents. Images