Identification of the cell fate gene stalky in Dictyostelium.
Using insertional mutagenesis, we have isolated a "stalky" mutant in which cells destined to become spores end up as stalk cells. Similar mutants were previously observed after chemical mutagenesis, but the affected gene could not be isolated. Our mutant, like the previous ones, is in stkA. Its defect is cell-autonomous and not overcome by overexpressing cAMP-dependent protein kinase. stkA is strongly expressed in the prespore region of aggregates but not in the anterior prestalk zone. The mutant expresses normal levels of prespore-cell transcripts but fails to produce the spore transcript spiA. stkA encodes a predicted 99 kDa protein (STKA) with two putative C4 zinc fingers, one of which is a GATA-type finger, indicating that it may be a transcription factor. This conclusion is supported by localization of STKA in the nucleus.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
W T
WT
Chang
P C
PC
Newell
J D
JD
Gross
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013172:Spores, Fungal; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C102198:stkA protein, Dictyostelium discoideum; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases