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First published online 22 February 2006
doi: 10.1242/dev.02287

Development 133, 1287-1297 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
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A retinoblastoma ortholog controls stalk/spore preference in Dictyostelium

Harry MacWilliams1,*, Kimchi Doquang1,2, Roberto Pedrola3, Gytha Dollman1, Daniela Grassi3, Thomas Peis1, Adrian Tsang2 and Adriano Ceccarelli3

1 Biozentrum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Grosshadernerstrasse 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
2 Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada.
3 Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Biologiche, Università di Torino, Ospedale S.Luigi, 10043 Orbassano, Torino, Italy.

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: macw{at}zi.biologie.uni-muenchen.de)

Accepted 18 January 2006

We describe rblA, the Dictyostelium ortholog of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene Rb. In the growth phase, rblA expression is correlated with several factors that lead to `preference' for the spore pathway. During multicellular development, expression increases 200-fold in differentiating spores. rblA-null strains differentiate stalk cells and spores normally, but in chimeras with wild type, the mutant shows a strong preference for the stalk pathway. rblA-null cells are hypersensitive to the stalk morphogen DIF, suggesting that rblA normally suppresses the DIF response in cells destined for the spore pathway. rblA overexpression during growth leads to G1 arrest, but as growing Dictyostelium are overwhelmingly in G2 phase, rblA does not seem to be important in the normal cell cycle. rblA-null cells show reduced cell size and a premature growth-development transition; the latter appears anomalous but may reflect selection pressures acting on social ameba.

Key words: Ameba, Cell cycle, Differentiation, Evolution


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T. Muramoto and J. R. Chubb
Live imaging of the Dictyostelium cell cycle reveals widespread S phase during development, a G2 bias in spore differentiation and a premitotic checkpoint
Development, May 1, 2008; 135(9): 1647 - 1657.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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