title: Morphology and dynamics of the endocytic pathway in Dictyostelium discoideum.
abstract: Dictyostelium discoideum is a genetically and biochemically tractable social amoeba belonging to the crown group of eukaryotes. It performs some of the tasks characteristic of a leukocyte such as chemotactic motility, macropinocytosis, and phagocytosis that are not performed by other model organisms or are difficult to study. D. discoideum is becoming a popular system to study molecular mechanisms of endocytosis, but the morphological characterization of the organelles along this pathway and the comparison with equivalent and/or different organelles in animal cells and yeasts were lagging. Herein, we used a combination of evanescent wave microscopy and electron microscopy of rapidly frozen samples to visualize primary endocytic vesicles, vesicular-tubular structures of the early and late endo-lysosomal system, such as multivesicular bodies, and the specialized secretory lysosomes. In addition, we present biochemical and morphological evidence for the existence of a micropinocytic pathway, which contributes to the uptake of membrane along side macropinocytosis, which is the major fluid phase uptake process. This complex endosomal compartment underwent continuous cycles of tubulation/vesiculation as well as homo- and heterotypic fusions, in a way reminiscent of mechanisms and structures documented in leukocytes. Finally, egestion of fluid phase from the secretory lysosomes was directly observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Research, Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: Wolfhard
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Almers
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soldati
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000502:physiology*; D004705:Endocytosis; D011992:Endosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D018715:Microscopy, Video; D013997:Time Factors