A mutation in the cAMP signaling pathway affects sexual development of Dictyostelium discoideum

Amoebae of cellular slime molds have two developmental modes, asexual fruiting body formation and sexual macrocyst formation. How developmental choice is made is an interesting subject of wide importance. Light exposure and dry conditions are favorable for asexual development, while conditions of da...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development, growth & differentiation growth & differentiation, 1997-04, Vol.39 (2), p.227-234
Main Authors: Shimizu, Hajime, Morio, Takahiro, Shimizu, Hideki D., Urushihara, Hideko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
cAMP
Cell Aggregation
Chemotaxis
Cyclic AMP - physiology
Dictyostelium - genetics
Dictyostelium - growth & development
Dictyostelium discoideum
DNA, Fungal - chemistry
DNA, Protozoan - chemistry
Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
Phenotype
Recombination, Genetic
Restriction Mapping
sexual development
Sexual Maturation - genetics
Sexual Maturation - physiology
Signal Transduction - genetics
Signal Transduction - physiology
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Summary:Amoebae of cellular slime molds have two developmental modes, asexual fruiting body formation and sexual macrocyst formation. How developmental choice is made is an interesting subject of wide importance. Light exposure and dry conditions are favorable for asexual development, while conditions of darkness and high humidity are so for sexual development. In Dictyostelium discoideum, the latter conditions enhance zygote formation, which determines the fate of surrounding cells for sexual development. Here, a mutant (TMC1) defective in the post‐fusion aggregation of cells during sexual development is described. This mutant is also aggregationless in asexual development, and the level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) receptor is reduced. Correspondingly, a series of existing mutants with defects in cAMP signaling pathways showed the same sexual phenotype as TMC1. These results suggest that molecular mechanisms of development are shared by the two alternative developmental modes.
ISSN:0012-1592
1440-169X
DOI:10.1046/j.1440-169X.1997.t01-1-00011.x