title: A membrane protein with possible relevance to sexual cell fusion in Dictyostelium discoideum.
abstract: The molecular mechanism of sexual cell fusion in Dictyostelium discoideum was studied using the heterothallic strains HM1 and NC4. Monovalent antibodies (Fab) prepared from rabbit antiserum against a crude membrane preparation of fusion-competent HM1 cells inhibited fusion between HM1 and NC4 cells. Six out of 43 antigenic proteins were found in fusion-competent HM1 cells but not in fusion-incompetent cells. Among them, only one protein with a molecular mass of 70 kDa was able to neutralize the fusion-inhibiting activity of Fab, suggesting its possible participation in sexual cell fusion.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Urushihara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Habata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
mesh_terms: D002459:Cell Fusion / Q000187:drug effects; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000494:pharmacology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008970:Molecular Weight
chemical_list: D007106:Immune Sera; D008565:Membrane Proteins