Fig. 1: The Acrasis kona life cycle. | Nature Communications

Fig. 1: The Acrasis kona life cycle.

From: The Acrasis kona genome and developmental transcriptomes reveal deep origins of eukaryotic multicellular pathways

Fig. 1

The acrasid life cycle alternates between a single-celled (asocial) feeding stage and a multicellular (social) dispersal stage. Development begins with aggregation, where cells migrate together to form a ball of cells (sorogen) surrounded by an extracellular matrix (slime sheath). The basal cells then encyst to form a stalk, gradually lifting the remaining cell mass above the substrate. With the stalk complete, the aerial cells align into chains and then encyst en mass, creating a mature multicellular fruiting body (sorocarp)3. Time points for the three life cycle stage transcriptomes are indicated with orange arrows and labeled as follows: Germ (spore germination), Gro (growth), and Agg (aggregation).

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