The social amoebae, cellular slime molds, are known for their unique life cycles shuttling between unicellular and multicellular stages. Since the amoebae are easily amenable to molecular biological manipulations, they serve as useful model organisms for both basic and applied sciences.     University of Tsukuba and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology collaborate as NBRP Resource Centers to take care of the biological resources of the social amoebae in Japan, and distribute them upon request from domestic and oversea users.