Evidence of conditioned behavior in amoebae

Ildefonso M. De la Fuente; Carlos Bringas; Iker Malaina; María Fedetz; Jose Carrasco-Pujante; Miguel Morales; Shira Knafo; Luis Martínez; Alberto Pérez-Samartín; José I. López; Gorka Pérez-Yarza; María Dolores Boyano

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-11677-w

Evidence of conditioned behavior in amoebae

Ildefonso M. De la Fuente, Carlos Bringas, Iker Malaina, María Fedetz, Jose Carrasco-Pujante, Miguel Morales, Shira Knafo, Luis Martínez, Alberto Pérez-Samartín, José I. López, Gorka Pérez-Yarza, María Dolores Boyano

Department of Physiology and Cell Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Associative memory is the main type of learning by which complex organisms endowed with evolved nervous systems respond efficiently to certain environmental stimuli. It has been found in different multicellular species, from cephalopods to humans, but never in individual cells. Here we describe a motility pattern consistent with associative conditioned behavior in the microorganism Amoeba proteus. We use a controlled direct-current electric field as the conditioned stimulus, and a specific chemotactic peptide as the unconditioned stimulus. The amoebae are capable of linking two independent past events, generating persistent locomotion movements that can prevail for 44 min on average. We confirm a similar behavior in a related species, Metamoeba leningradensis. Thus, our results indicate that unicellular organisms can modify their behavior during migration by associative conditioning.

Original language	English
Article number	3690
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	10
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11677-w
State	Published - 1 Dec 2019

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Chemistry
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy

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title = "Evidence of conditioned behavior in amoebae",

abstract = "Associative memory is the main type of learning by which complex organisms endowed with evolved nervous systems respond efficiently to certain environmental stimuli. It has been found in different multicellular species, from cephalopods to humans, but never in individual cells. Here we describe a motility pattern consistent with associative conditioned behavior in the microorganism Amoeba proteus. We use a controlled direct-current electric field as the conditioned stimulus, and a specific chemotactic peptide as the unconditioned stimulus. The amoebae are capable of linking two independent past events, generating persistent locomotion movements that can prevail for 44 min on average. We confirm a similar behavior in a related species, Metamoeba leningradensis. Thus, our results indicate that unicellular organisms can modify their behavior during migration by associative conditioning.",

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AU - De la Fuente, Ildefonso M.

AU - Bringas, Carlos

AU - Malaina, Iker

AU - Fedetz, María

AU - Carrasco-Pujante, Jose

AU - Morales, Miguel

AU - Knafo, Shira

AU - Martínez, Luis

AU - Pérez-Samartín, Alberto

AU - López, José I.

AU - Pérez-Yarza, Gorka

AU - Boyano, María Dolores

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

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AB - Associative memory is the main type of learning by which complex organisms endowed with evolved nervous systems respond efficiently to certain environmental stimuli. It has been found in different multicellular species, from cephalopods to humans, but never in individual cells. Here we describe a motility pattern consistent with associative conditioned behavior in the microorganism Amoeba proteus. We use a controlled direct-current electric field as the conditioned stimulus, and a specific chemotactic peptide as the unconditioned stimulus. The amoebae are capable of linking two independent past events, generating persistent locomotion movements that can prevail for 44 min on average. We confirm a similar behavior in a related species, Metamoeba leningradensis. Thus, our results indicate that unicellular organisms can modify their behavior during migration by associative conditioning.

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Evidence of conditioned behavior in amoebae

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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