title: Quantitative analysis of the behavior of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae: stringency of pteridine reception.
abstract: A convenient, sensitive, quantitative assay for the measurement of chemotaxis of populations of D. discoideum vegetative amoebae is presented. A strategy for determining the boundary of the bulk of a population of migrating amoebae was devised and is described. This assay employs a dynamic gradient and is independent of deaminase activity. Measurements of chemoattractant capabilities of various pteridines, folates, and mixtures of folate fragments are reported. 2-Amino 4-quinazolinone, a pterin analog without the pyrazine ring nitrogens, is chemotactic. Lumazine, deaminated pterin, inhibits chemotaxis towards pterin but not towards folic acid. Deaminofolic acid is a chemoattractant as are mixtures of lumazine plus aminobenzoylglutamic acid or deaminopteroic acid plus various amino acids. Separately, the components of these mixtures exhibit no ability to stimulate chemotaxis. These mixtures are of fragments that together comprise most of the folate structure. Our results are in accord with separate receptors for pterin vs. folic acid and with a high stringency for pterin reception but a relative tolerance for folate reception. The possibility of using such mixtures to investigate the requirements of various parts of the folate structure for competent signalling is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Queens College of CUNY, Flushing, New York 11367-1597, USA. jared_rifkin@qc.edu
authors.forename: Jared L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rifkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000187:drug effects; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D058973:Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000187:drug effects; D011621:Pteridines / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D058973:Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored; D010710:Phosphates; D011621:Pteridines; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C008297:lumazine; D005492:Folic Acid; C018279:sodium phosphate