Purpose
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The ameboid protozoan Dictyostelium discoideum is a powerful system for functional analysis of sequenced genes.  The 34 Mb genome contains many genes that are  homologous to those in higher eukaryotes and are missing in S. cerevisiae.  The organism is uniquely suited for studies of cytokinesis, motility, phagocytosis, chemotaxis, signal transduction, and aspects of development.  Many of these processes, which play important roles in health and disease, are either absent or are less accessible in other model organisms.  D. discoideum is one of the model organisms chosen by the National Institutes of Health as part of its model organism initiative.  The community of over 600 researchers currently using Dictyostelium in their studies invites collaboration with investigators interested in using the unique features of Dictyostelium.  This presentation outlines the features of the system, lists important findings that have been derived from its study, and describes the plans for development of infrastructure supporting the use of Dictyostelium as a model organism.  Text, video, and links to informative sites are provided.