A mathematical model for chemotactic movement and aggregation in cellular slime moulds

Abstract

The cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum (Dd)is a widely studied organism. In starvation conditions, Dd amoebae aggregate into a slug-like body which can crawl some distance before forming a fruiting body. The spores at the top of the body are scattered and amoebae emerge from them to feed in their new environment. Aggregation occurs in response to periodic waves of the chemoattractant cyclic adenosine 3'5'-monophosphate. (cAMP), emanating from the centre of the aggregation territory, which organize waves of cell movement towards the centre. To date, mathematical models focus on the dynamics of cAMP in homogeneous layer of stationary amoebae and, although they yield a valid description of the cAMP wave phenomena observed at the onset of aggregation, they do not consider cell movement.