Whole genome sequencing and variant analysis of Dictyostelium discoideum experimentally evolved under low relatedness

Aggregative multicellularity relies on cooperation among formerly independent cells to form a multicellular body. Previous work with Dictyostelium discoideum showed that experimental evolution under low relatedness profoundly decreased cooperation, as indicated by the loss of fruiting body formation in many clones and an increase of cheaters that contribute proportionally more to spores than to the dead stalk (Kuzdzal-Fick et al. 2011, Science). We generated whole genome sequences of these evolved lines and one non-fruiting clone from each line to investigate the underlying genomics.