The cellular slime mold Fonticula alba forms a dynamic, multicellular collective while feeding on bacteria

Toret, Christopher P.; Picco, Andrea; Sanders, Micaela Boiero; Michelot, Alphée; Kaksonen, Marko

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.018

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Protozoa modify the intestinal environment by the continuous secretion of molecules and consequently alter the architecture of the gut microbiota [45]. When compared to the microbiota of HVs, the gut of MAFLD patients in this study, who bear an altered composition of their microbiota, exhibited a higher gene expression of Fonticula alba , a bacteria‐feeding amoeba [48], and Blastocystis spp ., a component of the normal mammalian microbiota with a high prevalence in asymptomatic adults in developing countries [45]. The latter protozoan contributes to an inflammatory status in the intestine [45], a mechanism also reported in the pathogenesis of MAFLD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and its interaction with the metabolome in metabolic associated fatty liver disease: Gut microbiome signatures, correlation networks, and effect of PNPLA3 genotype

et al. 2023

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Interactions between communities of the gut microbiome and with the host could affect the onset and progression of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and can be useful as new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this study, we performed a multi‐omics approach to unravel gut microbiome signatures from 32 biopsy‐proven patients (10 simple steatosis ‐SS‐ and 22 steatohepatitis ‐SH‐) and 19 healthy volunteers (HV). Human and microbial transcripts were differentially identified between groups (MAFLD vs. HV/SH vs. SS), and analyzed for weighted correlation networks together with previously detected metabolites from the same set of samples. We observed that expression of Desulfobacteraceae bacterium, methanogenic archaea, Mushu phage, opportunistic pathogenic fungi Fusarium proliferatum and Candida sorbophila, protozoa Blastocystis spp. and Fonticula alba were upregulated in MAFLD and SH. Desulfobacteraceae bacterium and Mushu phage were hub species in the onset of MAFLD, whereas the activity of Fonticula alba, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Mushu phage act as key regulators of the progression to SH. A combination of clinical, metabolomic, and transcriptomic parameters showed the highest predictive capacity for MAFLD and SH (AUC = 0.96). In conclusion, faecal microbiome markers from several community members contribute to the switch in signatures characteristic of MAFLD and its progression towards SH.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and its interaction with the metabolome in metabolic associated fatty liver disease: Gut microbiome signatures, correlation networks, and effect of PNPLA3 genotype

et al. 2023

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“…Similarly, in the multicellular (slug) phase of the slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum ’s life cycle, cells migrate up external gradients of heat and light, causing different cell types to sort into specific regions along the body of the slug [35, 36]. Environmental cues triggering multicellularity can also be biotic: bacterial molecules induce rosette formation or swarming in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta [37, 38], while some myxobacteria [39] and slime moulds migrate collectively to feed on bacteria [40]. Previous models have highlighted the effect of motility on the evolution of adhesion in social [41, 42] and non-social groups [27].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental cues triggering multicellularity can also be biotic: bacterial molecules induce rosette formation or swarming in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta [39,40], while some myxobacteria [41] and slime moulds migrate collectively to feed on bacteria [42]. Previous models have highlighted the effect of motility on the evolution of adhesion in social [43,44] and non-social groups [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of selfish multicellularity collective organisation of individual spatio-temporal regulatory strategies

Vroomans

Colizzi

2022

Preprint

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Recent studies have shown that many major signalling pathways involved in embryonic development are ancient, and likely evolved before or at the onset of multicellularity. In the unicellular ancestors, these pathways may have been involved in regulating their ecological interactions. To understand the early evolution of development, we therefore need to study how the ancestral genetic toolkit was co-opted to coordinate nascent multicellularity in this ecology-to-development transition. We construct an evolutionary cell-based model in which cells use their genetic toolkit to compete for resources in a spatially structured environment. First, we let unicellular ancestors evolve a genetic toolkit that enables them to survive by regulating their behaviour in response to the environment. Then, when adhesion can evolve, we find that adhering groups of cells interpret environmental cues more effectively than their unicellular ancestors, which enables them to locate resources more quickly; this selects for multicellularity. Once cells have evolved multicellularity, their genetic toolkit evolves to a drastically different strategy from the unicellular ancestor, resulting in striking patterns of spatio-temporal cell state changes that visually resemble animal development. Surprisingly, these coordinated patterns are not a consequence of cells cooperating with each other. Rather, they result from cells using their genetic toolkit to compete with other cells in the cluster, selfishly maximising their own reproductive success. Our model demonstrates how emergent selection pressures at the onset of multicellularity can drive the evolution of the ecological interactions between cells to give rise to developmental pattern formation.

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“…Although these organelles are common across eukaryotic phyla (Fig. 1A), [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] have been long-studied, 12 and are considered relevant drug targets in important pathogens, 4,5,13 the mechanisms that drive contractile vacuole pumping remain mysterious.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A conserved pressure-driven mechanism for regulating cytosolic osmolarity

Garner

Beckford

Weeda

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Controlling intracellular osmolarity is essential to all cellular life. Cells that live in hypo-osmotic environments like freshwater must constantly battle water influx to avoid swelling until they burst. Many eukaryotic cells use contractile vacuoles to collect excess water from the cytosol and pump it out of the cell. Although contractile vacuoles are essential to many species, including important pathogens, the mechanisms that control their dynamics remain unclear. To identify basic principles governing contractile vacuole function, we here investigate the molecular mechanisms of two species with distinct vacuolar morphologies from different eukaryotic lineages—the discobanNaegleria gruberi, and the amoebozoan slime moldDictyostelium discoideum. Using quantitative cell biology we find that, although these species respond differently to osmotic challenges, they both use actin for osmoregulation, as well as vacuolar-type proton pumps for filling contractile vacuoles. We also use analytical modeling to show that cytoplasmic pressure is sufficient to drive water out of contractile vacuoles in these species, similar to findings from the alveolateParamecium multimicronucleatum. Because these three lineages diverged well over a billion years ago, we propose that this represents an ancient eukaryotic mechanism of osmoregulation.

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The cellular slime mold Fonticula alba forms a dynamic, multicellular collective while feeding on bacteria

Cited by 16 publications

References 37 publications

Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and its interaction with the metabolome in metabolic associated fatty liver disease: Gut microbiome signatures, correlation networks, and effect of PNPLA3 genotype

Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and its interaction with the metabolome in metabolic associated fatty liver disease: Gut microbiome signatures, correlation networks, and effect of PNPLA3 genotype

Evolution of selfish multicellularity collective organisation of individual spatio-temporal regulatory strategies

A conserved pressure-driven mechanism for regulating cytosolic osmolarity

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