Cell Proliferation Involving pakE Gene in Dictyostelium amoeba

Abstract

I spoke with Dr. Jeff Hadwiger, a scientist currently leading research about the Dictyostelium amoeba. Dr. Hadwiger’s lab has worked for decades to better understand the Dictyostelium amoeba, inside and out. Dictyostelium amoeba are typically soil-dwelling, nonpathogenic, microscopic creatures. They typically feed on bacteria around them, and undergo several forms throughout their lifecycle, like a slug, pre-spore, and stalk formations. Most of the formations occur during cell proliferation when the amoeba transforms into a spore for preservation.