Cell patterning in branched and unbranched fruiting bodies of the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum

[摘要] Cellpatterning,thepercentageofsporesandstalkcells,wasmeasuredinbranchedandunbranchedasexualfruitingbodiesofPolysphondyliumpallidum.UnlikeD.discoideum,wheresmallandlargefruitingbodiesaremorestalkythanaverage-sizedfruitingbodies,theoverallcellpatterningwasthesameinbranchedandunbranchedfruitingbodiesofallsizesinP.pallidum.LightgreatlyincreasedthenumbersoffruitingbodiesinP.pallidumperunitarea(ordecreasedaggregationterritorysize)sothatmostfruitingbodiesformedinthelightweresmallandunbranched.Bycontrast,lighthadlittleeffectonthecellpatterningofP.pallidum,althoughtherewasaslightincreaseinthepercentageofstalkcellsinthelightcomparedtothedark.ThisindicatesthatthemechanismsgoverninglightsensitivityofaggregationterritorysizeandcellpatterninghavedifferentcomponentsinP.pallidum.Theaccuracyofcellpatterningofindividualbranchesofbranchedfruitingbodieswassoimpreciseastoleavedoubtthatpatterningisoccurringatthebranchlevel.Individualwhorlsofbranchedfruitingbodieshadagreaterpercentagespores(90%)thanwholefruitingbodies(78%)andthecellpatterningwasrelativelyimprecise.Onlyinwholefruitingbodieswasthespore:stalkratiohighlycorrelated.Thesefindingsareconsistentwithcellpatterndeterminationoperatingatthewholeaggregatelevel,ratherthanattheindividualwhorlorbranchlevelinP.pallidum.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）