Amoeboid movement is the crawling like technique that amoebas use to move from place to place. Amoeboid movement in eukaryotes is primarily driven by cytoskeletons including actin and myosin. The debate regarding whether or not microtubules are involved in amoeboid movement among scientists is widely known. Microtubules are mostly associated with intracellular transportation besides their other roles for structural support. But, their role in amoeboid movement is not well understood. In this study the role of microtubules in amoeboid movement is investigated in two amoebae including Cochliopodium sp. and Ameoba proteus. In order to investigate the role of microtubules in amoeboid movement, amoebae were treated with microtubule assembly inhibitor drug (colchicine) and the movement of amoebae were recorded before and after the application of the drug. Measurements of amoeba movement after the application of colchicine showed mixed results in Cochliopodium, where the shape of the amoeba changed and their movement slowed down within the first 4 hours of the application of the drug. But, their movement was restored to normal after 24 hrs. This is likely due to metabolization of the drug by the amoebae.In Ameoba proteus, the impact of colchicine was clear. Cells of Amoeba proteus halted movement and their shaped dramatically changed into a ball shape. These results demonstrate that microtubules play a role in amoeboid movement
