Dictyostelium discoideum Growth Media

The simplest organism to form multicellular structures, Dictyostelium discoideum is often used as a model to study biological processes that impact how individual cells function. This cellular slime mold is normally found in the soil of deciduous forests where it feeds upon a wide variety of microbes. When other organisms are readily available as a food source, Dictyostelium cells grow as autonomous individual amoebae. When conditions become unfavorable, single cells interact to form an aggregate that matures into a multicellular fruiting body that contains dormant spores. Under more favorable conditions, the spores are released.		Skip to SM Media Skip to HL5 Media Skip to FM Media

SM Growth Medium

Dictyostelium discoideum can be cultured in the lab by plating
on SM Medium with bacteria as a food source. An SM Agar
plate is seeded with bacteria (generally A. aerogenes or E. coli)
and a few D. discoideum cells. The cells, feeding and dividing
on the bacterial lawn, form colonies. As each colony grows, the
individual slime mold amoeba in the center, where bacteria are
depleted, join to form multicellular fruiting bodies. The
process takes 3-4 days from plating to fruiting body formation.

SM Medium



25g/liter
Contents/L: 1.9 g KH₂PO₄, 1.3 g K₂HPO₄•3H₂O, 1 g MgSO₄•7H₂O, 10 g glucose,
10 g bactopeptone, 1 g yeast extract

SM Agar



37g/liter
Contents/L:SM Medium, 17 g Agar-B

HL5 Medium

Specific strains of D. discoideum are capable of growing axenically
(without bacteria as food) in liquid culture with the undefined media HL5.

HL5 Medium

22 g/liter
Contents/L: 0.5 g KH₂PO₄, 0.5 g Na₂HPO₄, 7 g yeast extract, 14 g proteose peptone

HL5 Medium w/ Glucose

35.5 g/liter
Contents/L: HL5 Medium, 13.5 g glucose

Cat #		Size
Powder 3090-312     227 g (0.5 lb) 3090-322     454 g (1 lb) 3090-332     1 kg (2.2 lb) 3090-342     5 kg (11 lb) Pouches 3090-375     10 x 1.0 L Pouches 3090-395     100 x 1.0 L Pouches

FM Minimal Medium FM Minimal Media is a synthetic defined minimal media derived from HL5. FM Minimal Media supports the growth of most strains that will grow on HL5 and is used for transformations and gene disruption studies. The original formulation [Franke and Kessin (1977) PNAS, USA 74, 2157] has been adapted to a single powder mixture that is added to water and autoclaved. Axenic strains AX3 and AX4 grown for 15 generations on this media, versus FM made according to traditional methods, demonstrated identical growth rates.
FM Minimal Medium 19.5 g/liter Contents/L: See table at right Cat #   Size Powder 4115-012     227 g (0.5 lb) 4115-022     454 g (1 lb) 4115-032     1 kg (2.2 lb) 4115-042     5 kg (11 lb) Pouches 4115-065     10 x 0.5 L Pouches 4115-085     100 x 0.5 L Pouches 4115-075     10 x 1.0 L Pouches 4115-095     100 x 1.0 L Pouches

FM Minimal Medium w/o Copper Sulfate,
Cysteine, DHS, Methionine, Zinc Sulfate

Cat #		Size
Powder 4115-132     1 kg (2.2 lb)

FM Minimal Medium w/o Amino Acids,
Glucose (Powder)

Cat #		Size
Powder 4115-322     454 g (1 lb)