title: Expression of activated Ras during Dictyostelium development alters cell localization and changes cell fate.
abstract: There is now a body of evidence to indicate that Ras proteins play important roles in development. Dictyostelium expresses several ras genes and each appears to perform a distinct function. Previous data had indicated that the overexpression of an activated form of the major developmentally regulated gene, rasD, caused a major aberration in morphogenesis and cell type determination. We now show that the developmental expression of an activated rasG gene under the control of the rasD promoter causes a similar defect. Our results indicate that the expression of activated rasG in prespore cells results in their transdifferentiation into prestalk cells, whereas activated rasG expression in prestalk causes gross mislocalization of the prestalk cell populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Jaffer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khosla
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Spiegelman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weeks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D008027:Light; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009068:Movement / Q000528:radiation effects; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D013170:Spores; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C424066:rasD protein, Dictyostelium; C424065:rasG protein, Dictyostelium; D001616:beta-Galactosidase