Dictyostelia

Baldauf, Sandra L.; Strassmann, Joan E.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28149-0_14

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 171 publications

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“…The acrasid life cycle is strikingly similar to that of dictyostelids (Baldauf & Strassmann 2017), and acrasids were long considered their primitive relatives (van Tieghem 1880). Due at least in part to this presumed close relationship Acrasis rosea (now Acrasis kona) enjoyed some popularity as an experimental model, especially for the study of cytoskeletal and related features (e.g., Hellstén and Roos 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep origins of eukaryotic multicellularity revealed by the Acrasis kona genome and developmental transcriptomes

Sheikh

Brown

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Acrasids are large, fast-moving, omnivorous amoebae. However, under certain conditions, they can also cooperate to form multicellular fruiting bodies in a process known as aggregative multicellularity (AGM). This makes acrasids the only known example of multicellularity among the earliest branches of eukaryotes (formerly superkingdom Excavata) and thus the outgroup to all other known multicellular eukaryotes. We have sequenced the genome of Acrasis kona, along with transcriptomes from cells in pre-, mid- and post-development. We find the A. kona genome to be rich in novelty, genes acquired by horizontal transfer and, especially, multigene families. The latter include nearly half of the amoeba’s protein coding capacity, and many of these families show differential expression among life cycle stages. Development in A. kona appears to be molecularly simple, requiring substantial upregulation of only 449 genes compared to 2762 in the only other AGM model, Dictyostelium discoideum. However, unlike the dictyostelid, developing A. kona also does not appear to be starving, being instead very metabolically active and inducing neither autophagy nor increasing ubiquitin-tagged proteolysis. Thus, contrary to current expectations, starvation does not appear to be essential for AGM development. Moreover, despite the ~ 2 billion years of evolution separating the two amoebae, their development appears to employ remarkably similar pathways for signaling, motility and construction of an extracellular matrix surrounding the developing cell mass. In addition, much of this similarity is shared with the clonal multicellularity of animals. This makes the acrasid something of a “bare bones” developmental model and suggests that much of the basic tool kit for multicellular development arose very early in eukaryotic evolution.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep origins of eukaryotic multicellularity revealed by the Acrasis kona genome and developmental transcriptomes

Sheikh

Brown

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The possible modes of microbial reproduction are fundamentally restricted by distribution of mass between parent and offspring

Pichugin

Traulsen

2022

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Significance Cells and simple cell colonies reproduce by fragmenting their bodies into pieces. Produced newborns need to grow before they can reproduce again. How big a cell or a cell colony should grow? How many offspring should be produced? Should they be of equal size or diverse? We show that the simple fact that the immediate mass of offspring cannot exceed the mass of parents restricts possible answers to these questions. For example, our theory states that, when mass is conserved in the course of fragmentation, the evolutionarily optimal reproduction mode is fragmentation into exactly two, typically equal, parts. Our theory also shows conditions which promote evolution of asymmetric division or fragmentation into multiple pieces.

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Diversity of ‘simple’ multicellular eukaryotes: 45 independent cases and six types of multicellularity

Lamża

2023

Biological Reviews

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Multicellularity evolved multiple times in the history of life, with most reviewers agreeing that it appeared at least 20 times in eukaryotes. However, a specific list of multicellular eukaryotes with clear criteria for inclusion has not yet been published. Herein, an updated critical review of eukaryotic multicellularity is presented, based on current understanding of eukaryotic phylogeny and new discoveries in microbiology, phycology and mycology. As a result, 45 independent multicellular lineages are identified that fall into six distinct types. Functional criteria, as distinct from a purely topological definition of a cell, are introduced to bring uniformity and clarity to the existing definitions of terms such as colony, multicellularity, thallus or plasmodium. The category of clonal multicellularity is expanded to include: (i) septated multinucleated thalli found in Pseudofungi and early‐branching Fungi such as Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota; and (ii) multicellular reproductive structures formed by plasmotomy in intracellular parasites such as Phytomyxea. Furthermore, (iii) endogeneous budding, as found in Paramyxida, is described as a form of multicellularity. The best‐known case of clonal multicellularity, i.e. (iv) non‐separation of cells after cell division, as known from Metazoa and Ochrophyta, is also discussed. The category of aggregative multicellularity is expanded to include not only (v) pseudoplasmodial forms, such a sorocarp‐forming Acrasida, but also (vi) meroplasmodial organisms, such as members of Variosea or Filoreta. A common set of topological, geometric, genetic and life‐cycle criteria are presented that form a coherent, philosophically sound framework for discussing multicellularity. A possibility of a seventh type of multicellularity is discussed, that of multi‐species superorganisms formed by protists with obligatory bacterial symbionts, such as some members of Oxymonada or Parabasalia. Its inclusion is dependent on the philosophical stance taken towards the concepts of individuality and organism in biology. Taxa that merit special attention are identified, such as colonial Centrohelea, and a new speculative form of multicellularity, possibly present in some reticulopodial amoebae, is briefly described. Because of insufficient phylogenetic and morphological data, not all lineages could be unequivocally identified, and the true total number of all multicellular eukaryotic lineages is therefore higher, likely close to a hundred.

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Dictyostelia

Cited by 4 publications

References 171 publications

Deep origins of eukaryotic multicellularity revealed by the Acrasis kona genome and developmental transcriptomes

Deep origins of eukaryotic multicellularity revealed by the Acrasis kona genome and developmental transcriptomes

The possible modes of microbial reproduction are fundamentally restricted by distribution of mass between parent and offspring

Diversity of ‘simple’ multicellular eukaryotes: 45 independent cases and six types of multicellularity

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