title: The effect of ammonia on cell-type-specific enzyme accumulation in Dictyostelium discoideum.
abstract: We have shown that ammonia inhibits stalk cell formation and promotes spore formation during cyclic AMP induced differentiation of monolayers of sporogenous amoebae (Gross, J.D. et al., Nature (London), 303, 244-245, 1983). Here we show that exposure to ammonia favours the accumulation of prespore- over prestalk-specific enzymes and related products. We conclude that ammonia switches cells from the prestalk to the prespore pathway rather than simply inhibiting stalk cell maturation and hence may act as a morphogen during development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, England.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bradbury
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000641:Ammonia / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development*; D005700:Galactosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005796:Genes / Q000187:drug effects*; D005800:Genes, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000641:Ammonia; D005700:Galactosyltransferases; C023241:UDPgalactose polysaccharide transferase; D000135:Acid Phosphatase