cDNA microarray analysis of Dictyostelium development

Dictyostelium discoideum are simple eukaryotes which are extensively studied in mathematical biology and molecular genetics. When starved, Dictyostelium cells aggregate and undergo a dramatic change from a solitary lifestyle to a multicellular structure containing spore and stalk cells. In genetically normal cells the process of Dictyostelium development requires approximately 24 hours. To monitor gene expression changes during the process of development, we have constructed a custom array representing approximately 7k distinct Dictyostelium genes representing approximately 2/3 of the genes in the genome. We have conducted a large number of 24 hour, 13 time point Dictyostelium microarray experiments. We find large patterns of change in gene expression across the developmental time course. We also find that the major patterns of gene expression are repeatable across separate laboratory preparations.