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Current Biology : CB Oct 2018Although we often think of cells as small, simple building blocks of life, in fact they are highly complex and can perform a startling variety of functions. In our...
Although we often think of cells as small, simple building blocks of life, in fact they are highly complex and can perform a startling variety of functions. In our bodies, cells are programmed by complex differentiation pathways and are capable of responding to a bewildering range of chemical and physical signals. Free-living single-celled organisms, such as bacteria or protists, have to cope with varying environments, locate prey and potential mates, and escape from predators - all of the same tasks that a free-living animal is faced with. When animals face complex behavioral challenges, they rely on their cognitive abilities - the ability to learn from experience, to analyse a situation and choose an appropriate course of action. This ability is essential for survival and should, in principle, be a ubiquitous feature of all living things regardless of the complexity of the organism.
Topics: Cells; Ciliophora; Habituation, Psychophysiologic; Learning; Physarum
PubMed: 30352182
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.015 -
Current Biology : CB Apr 2021Interview with Audrey Dussutour, who uses slime molds and ant colonies to study collective behavior and cognition at the Center for Integrative Biology in Toulouse.
Interview with Audrey Dussutour, who uses slime molds and ant colonies to study collective behavior and cognition at the Center for Integrative Biology in Toulouse.
Topics: Animals; Cognition; Communication; History, 21st Century; Learning; Mentors; Myxomycetes; Research Support as Topic; Sexism; Writing
PubMed: 33905686
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.033 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jun 2019Cognitive networks have evolved a broad range of solutions to the problem of gathering, storing and responding to information. Some of these networks are describable as...
Cognitive networks have evolved a broad range of solutions to the problem of gathering, storing and responding to information. Some of these networks are describable as static sets of neurons linked in an adaptive web of connections. These are 'solid' networks, with a well-defined and physically persistent architecture. Other systems are formed by sets of agents that exchange, store and process information but without persistent connections or move relative to each other in physical space. We refer to these networks that lack stable connections and static elements as 'liquid' brains, a category that includes ant and termite colonies, immune systems and some microbiomes and slime moulds. What are the key differences between solid and liquid brains, particularly in their cognitive potential, ability to solve particular problems and environments, and information-processing strategies? To answer this question requires a new, integrative framework. This article is part of the theme issue 'Liquid brains, solid brains: How distributed cognitive architectures process information'.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Brain; Cognition; Humans; Immune System; Insecta; Physarum
PubMed: 31006374
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0040 -
Microorganisms Sep 2023Evidence from molecular studies indicates that myxomycetes (also called myxogastrids or plasmodial slime molds) have a long evolutionary history, and the oldest known... (Review)
Review
Evidence from molecular studies indicates that myxomycetes (also called myxogastrids or plasmodial slime molds) have a long evolutionary history, and the oldest known fossil is from the mid-Cretaceous. However, they were not "discovered" until 1654, when a brief description and a woodcut depicting what is almost certainly the common species was published. First thought to be fungi, myxomycetes were not universally recognized as completely distinct until well into the twentieth century. Biodiversity surveys for the group being carried out over several years are relatively recent, with what is apparently the first example being carried out in the 1930s. Beginning in the 1980s, a series of such surveys yielded large bodies of data on the occurrence and distribution of myxomycetes in terrestrial ecosystems. The most notable of these were the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) project carried out in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory Project (PBI) carried out in localities throughout the world, and the Myxotropic project being carried out throughout the Neotropics. The datasets available from both past and ongoing surveys now allow global and biogeographical patterns of myxomycetes to be assessed for the first time.
PubMed: 37764126
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092283 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... May 2018A dynamic self-organized morphology is the hallmark of network-shaped organisms like slime moulds and fungi. Organisms continuously reorganize their flexible,... (Review)
Review
A dynamic self-organized morphology is the hallmark of network-shaped organisms like slime moulds and fungi. Organisms continuously reorganize their flexible, undifferentiated body plans to forage for food. Among these organisms the slime mould has emerged as a model to investigate how an organism can self-organize their extensive networks and act as a coordinated whole. Cytoplasmic fluid flows flowing through the tubular networks have been identified as the key driver of morphological dynamics. Inquiring how fluid flows can shape living matter from small to large scales opens up many new avenues for research. This article is part of the theme issue 'Self-organization in cell biology'.
Topics: Cytoplasm; Hydrodynamics; Physarum polycephalum
PubMed: 29632264
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0112 -
Marine Drugs Sep 2022The marine environment is important yet generally underexplored. It contains new sources of functional constituents that can affect various pathways in food processing,... (Review)
Review
The marine environment is important yet generally underexplored. It contains new sources of functional constituents that can affect various pathways in food processing, storage, and fortification. Bioactive secondary metabolites produced by marine microorganisms may have significant potential applications for humans. Various components isolated from disparate marine microorganisms, including fungi, microalgae, bacteria, and myxomycetes, showed considerable biological effects, such as anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and neuroprotective activities. Growing studies are revealing that potential anticancer effects of marine agents could be achieved through the modulation of several organelles. Mitochondria are known organelles that influence growth, differentiation, and death of cells via influencing the biosynthetic, bioenergetic, and various signaling pathways related to oxidative stress and cellular metabolism. Consequently, mitochondria play an essential role in tumorigenesis and cancer treatments by adapting to alterations in environmental and cellular conditions. The growing interest in marine-derived anticancer agents, combined with the development and progression of novel technology in the extraction and cultures of marine life, led to revelations of new compounds with meaningful pharmacological applications. This is the first critical review on marine-derived anticancer agents that have the potential for targeting mitochondrial function during tumorigenesis. This study aims to provide promising strategies in cancer prevention and treatment.
Topics: Humans; Antioxidants; Mitochondria; Antineoplastic Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antiviral Agents; Neoplasms; Carcinogenesis; Biological Products; Aquatic Organisms
PubMed: 36286449
DOI: 10.3390/md20100625 -
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface Apr 2022is a unicellular slime mould that has been intensely studied owing to its ability to solve mazes, find shortest paths, generate Steiner trees, share knowledge and...
is a unicellular slime mould that has been intensely studied owing to its ability to solve mazes, find shortest paths, generate Steiner trees, share knowledge and remember past events and the implied applications to unconventional computing. The CELL model is a cellular automaton introduced in Gunji . (Gunji 2008 , 659-667 (doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.04.017)) that models 's amoeboid motion, tentacle formation, maze solving and network creation. In the present paper, we extend the CELL model by spawning multiple CELLs, allowing us to understand the interactions between multiple cells and, in particular, their mobility, merge speed and cytoplasm mixing. We conclude the paper with some notes about applications of our work to modelling the rise of present-day civilization from the early nomadic humans and the spread of trends and information around the world. Our study of the interactions of this unicellular organism should further the understanding of how communicates and shares information.
Topics: Cell Fusion; Humans; Physarum polycephalum
PubMed: 35472268
DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0054 -
Mycology 2023Species in the class Myxomycetes (or Myxogastrea) are essential components of biodiversity and play important ecological roles in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in... (Review)
Review
Species in the class Myxomycetes (or Myxogastrea) are essential components of biodiversity and play important ecological roles in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in forests. Studies on the taxonomy and diversity of these organisms started late in China. However, significant progress in China has been made in modern taxonomic studies on myxomycetes based on long-term species surveying and specimen collecting. The existing achievements have shown that comprehensive and continuous studies on the taxonomy and diversity of myxomycetes in China have the potential to enhance global biodiversity and improve the geographic distribution pattern of myxomycetes. Therefore, building on the current research foundation and expanding myxomycete research in a wider and more in-depth approach is imperative.
PubMed: 38187883
DOI: 10.1080/21501203.2023.2255031 -
Genes Mar 2023The mtDNA of the myxomycete can contain as many as 81 genes. These genes can be grouped in three different categories. The first category includes 46 genes that are... (Review)
Review
The mtDNA of the myxomycete can contain as many as 81 genes. These genes can be grouped in three different categories. The first category includes 46 genes that are classically found on the mtDNA of many organisms. However, 43 of these genes are cryptogenes that require a unique type of RNA editing (MICOTREM). A second category of gene is putative protein-coding genes represented by 26 significant open reading frames. However, these genes do not appear to be transcribed during the growth of the plasmodium and are currently unassigned since they do not have any apparent similarity to other classical mitochondrial protein-coding genes. The third category of gene is found in the mtDNA of some strains of . These genes derive from a linear mitochondrial plasmid with nine significant, but unassigned, open reading frames which can integrate into the mitochondrial DNA by recombination. Here, we review the mechanism and evolution of the RNA editing necessary for cryptogene expression, discuss possible origins for the 26 unassigned open reading frames based on tentative identification of their protein product, and discuss the implications to mtDNA structure and replication of the integration of the linear mitochondrial plasmid.
Topics: Physarum polycephalum; DNA, Mitochondrial; Base Sequence; Mitochondria; Genetic Variation
PubMed: 36980901
DOI: 10.3390/genes14030628 -
Bio Systems Feb 2016Left-right patterning and lateralised behaviour is an ubiquitous aspect of plants and animals. The mechanisms linking cellular chirality to the large-scale asymmetry of...
Left-right patterning and lateralised behaviour is an ubiquitous aspect of plants and animals. The mechanisms linking cellular chirality to the large-scale asymmetry of multicellular structures are incompletely understood, and it has been suggested that the chirality of living cells is hardwired in their cytoskeleton. We examined the question of biased asymmetry in a unique organism: the slime mould Physarum polycephalum, which is unicellular yet possesses macroscopic, complex structure and behaviour. In laboratory experiment using a T-shape, we found that Physarum turns right in more than 74% of trials. The results are in agreement with previously published studies on asymmetric movement of muscle cells, neutrophils, liver cells and growing neural filaments, and for the first time reveal the presence of consistently-biased laterality in the fungi kingdom. Exact mechanisms of the slime mould's direction preference remain unknown.
Topics: Body Patterning; Cell Movement; Computer Simulation; Models, Biological; Models, Statistical; Myxomycetes; Physarum polycephalum
PubMed: 26747637
DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2015.12.008