title: A morphogen for the sporulation of Physarum polycephalum detected by cell fusion experiments.
abstract: The light stimulus, which under conditions of starvation induces the development of sporangia in the slime mold Physarum polycephalum, can be transferred from the light-exposed part to the unexposed part of a plasmodium by means of plasma circulation. A small quantity of protoplasm from a sporulating donor plasmodium, which had passed through the premorphogenetic phase, was transferred by a short period fusion with a briefly starved, light-induction-incompetent acceptor plasmodium. This led to sporulation and even to a reduction of the premorphogenetic phase from 9 down to 3 h in the acceptor plasmodium. After fusion with a sporulating plasmodium, a highly starved plasmodium from a non-sporogenic culture line or a growing plasmodium from a normal line prevents further morphogenesis of sporangia in the sporulating partner.
mesh_terms: D002459:Cell Fusion; D008027:Light; D009024:Morphogenesis; D010804:Physarum / Q000254:growth & development*; D013172:Spores, Fungal