Editor's Summary
5 May 2005
Dictyostelium genome
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum switches between a solitary existence as a unicellular organism, and a multicellular form displaying cell differentiation and coordination typical of higher eukaryotes. For this reason and because of its experimental accessibility, it is a key model organism for understanding how cells communicate and differentiate. The completion of the D. discoideum genome sequence is now reported, together with analyses of both the genome and proteome. Novel features include plenty of genes involved in producing and exporting small molecules. Dictyostelium's origins near the base of eukaryotic evolution mean that questions about the origins and diversification of the eukaryotes can also be addressed via its genome. Cover graphic (P. H. Dear & MRC Centre Visual Aids Dept) depicts the multicellular form.
Article: The genome of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum
L. Eichinger, J. A. Pachebat, G. Glöckner, M.-A. Rajandream, R. Sucgang, M. Berriman, J. Song, R. Olsen, K. Szafranski, Q. Xu, B. Tunggal, S. Kummerfeld, M. Madera, B. A. Konfortov, F. Rivero, A. T. Bankier, R. Lehmann, N. Hamlin, R. Davies, P. Gaudet, P. Fey, K. Pilcher, G. Chen, D. Saunders, E. Sodergren, P. Davis, A. Kerhornou, X. Nie, N. Hall, C. Anjard, L. Hemphill, N. Bason, P. Farbrother, B. Desany, E. Just, T. Morio, R. Rost, C. Churcher, J. Cooper, S. Haydock, N. van Driessche, A. Cronin, I. Goodhead, D. Muzny, T. Mourier, A. Pain, M. Lu, D. Harper, R. Lindsay, H. Hauser, K. James, M. Quiles, M. Madan Babu, T. Saito, C. Buchrieser, A. Wardroper, M. Felder, M. Thangavelu, D. Johnson, A. Knights, H. Loulseged, K. Mungall, K. Oliver, C. Price, M. A. Quail, H. Urushihara, J. Hernandez, E. Rabbinowitsch, D. Steffen, M. Sanders, J. Ma, Y. Kohara, S. Sharp, M. Simmonds, S. Spiegler, A. Tivey, S. Sugano, B. White, D. Walker, J. Woodward, T. Winckler, Y. Tanaka, G. Shaulsky, M. Schleicher, G. Weinstock, A. Rosenthal, E. C. Cox, R. L. Chisholm, R. Gibbs, W. F. Loomis, M. Platzer, R. R. Kay, J. Williams, P. H. Dear, A. A. Noegel, B. Barrell and A. Kuspa
doi: 10.1038/nature03481
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (968K) | Supplementary information