title: How cellular slime molds evade nematodes.
abstract: We have found a predator-prey association between the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and the free soil living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans feeds on the amoebae and multiplies indefinitely when amoebae are the sole food source. In an environment created from soil, D. discoideum grows and develops, but not in the presence of C. elegans. During development, C. elegans feeds on amoebae until they aggregate and synthesize an extracellular matrix called the slime sheath. After the sheath forms, the aggregate and slug are protected. Adult nematodes ingest Dictyostelium spores, which pass through the gut of the worm without loss of structure and remain viable. Nematodes kill the amoebae but disperse the spores. The sheath that is constructed when the social amoebae aggregate and the spore coats of the individual cells may protect against this predator. Individual amoebae may also protect themselves by secreting compounds that repel nematodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Kessin
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Gundersen
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zaydfudim
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grimson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil