Control of cell type proportioning in Dictyostelium discoideum by differentiation-inducing factor as determined by in situ hybridization.
We have determined the proportions of the prespore and prestalk regions in Dictyostelium discoideum slugs by in situ hybridization with a large number of prespore- and prestalk-specific genes. Microarrays were used to discover genes expressed in a cell type-specific manner. Fifty-four prespore-specific genes were verified by in situ hybridization, including 18 that had been previously shown to be cell type specific. The 36 new genes more than doubles the number of available prespore markers. At the slug stage, the prespore genes hybridized to cells uniformly in the posterior 80% of wild-type slugs but hybridized to the posterior 90% of slugs lacking the secreted alkylphenone differentiation-inducing factor 1 (DIF-1). There was a compensatory twofold decrease in prestalk cells in DIF-less slugs. Removal of prespore cells resulted in cell type conversion in both wild-type and DIF-less anterior fragments. Thus, DIF-1 appears to act in concert with other processes to establish cell type proportions.
Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan.
Toshinari
T
Maruo
Haruyo
H
Sakamoto
Negin
N
Iranfar
Danny
D
Fuller
Takahiro
T
Morio
Hideko
H
Urushihara
Yoshimasa
Y
Tanaka
Mineko
M
Maeda
William F
WF
Loomis
D000818:Animals; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006588:Hexanones; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013170:Spores / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics
C490570:Differentiation-inducing factor-1, Dictyostelium; D006588:Hexanones; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D011506:Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins