title: A myb-related protein required for culmination in Dictyostelium.
abstract: The avian retroviral v-myb gene and its cellular homologues throughout the animal and plant kingdoms contain a conserved DNA binding domain. We have isolated an insertional mutant of Dictyostelium unable to switch from slug migration to fruiting body formation i.e. unable to culminate. The gene that is disrupted, mybC, codes for a protein with a myb-like domain that is recognized by an antibody against the v-myb repeat domain. During development of myb+ cells, mybC is expressed only in prestalk cells. When developed together with wild-type cells mybC- cells are able to form both spores and stalk cells very efficiently. Their developmental defect is also bypassed by overexpressing cAMP-dependent protein kinase. However even when their defect is bypassed, mybC null slugs and culminates produce little if any of the intercellular signalling peptides SDF-1 and SDF-2 that are believed to be released by prestalk cells at culmination. We propose that the mybC gene product is required for an intercellular signaling process controlling maturation of stalk cells and spores and that SDF-1 and/or SDF-2 may be implicated in this process.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biochemistry University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anjard
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harwood
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006588:Hexanones; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D020626:Oncogene Proteins v-myb; D011506:Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000502:physiology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C490570:Differentiation-inducing factor-1, Dictyostelium; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D006588:Hexanones; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D020626:Oncogene Proteins v-myb; D011506:Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; C120108:mybC protein, Dictyostelium; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases