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First published online 31 January 2007
doi: 10.1242/dev.02775

Development 134, 959-966 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
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cAMP production by adenylyl cyclase G induces prespore differentiation in Dictyostelium slugs

Elisa Alvarez-Curto, Shweta Saran, Marcel Meima, Jenny Zobel, Claire Scott and Pauline Schaap*

Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Angus DD1 5EH, UK.

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: p.schaap{at}dundee.ac.uk)

Accepted 5 December 2006

Encystation and sporulation are crucial developmental transitions for solitary and social amoebae, respectively. Whereas little is known of encystation, sporulation requires both extra- and intracellular cAMP. After aggregation of social amoebae, extracellular cAMP binding to surface receptors and intracellular cAMP binding to cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) act together to induce prespore differentiation. Later, a second episode of PKA activation triggers spore maturation. Adenylyl cyclase B (ACB) produces cAMP for maturation, but the cAMP source for prespore induction is unknown. We show that adenylyl cyclase G (ACG) protein is upregulated in prespore tissue after aggregation. acg null mutants show reduced prespore differentiation, which becomes very severe when ACB is also deleted. ACB is normally expressed in prestalk cells, but is upregulated in the prespore region of acg null structures. These data show that ACG induces prespore differentiation in wild-type cells, with ACB capable of partially taking over this function in its absence.

Key words: Pattern formation, Cell-type specification, Sporulation, Encystation, Adenylyl cyclase G, Dictyostelium discoideum






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