title: Transcriptional regulation of Dictyostelium pattern formation.
abstract: On starvation, Dictyostelium cells form a terminally differentiated structure, known as the fruiting body, which comprises stalk and spore cells. Their precursors--prestalk and prespore cells--are spatially separated and accessible in a migratory structure known as the slug. This simplicity and manipulability has made Dictyostelium attractive to both experimental and theoretical developmental biologists. However, this outward simplicity conceals a surprising degree of developmental sophistication. Multiple prestalk subtypes are formed and undertake a co-ordinated series of morphogenetic cell movements to generate the fruiting body. This review describes recent advances in understanding the signalling pathways that generate prestalk-cell heterogeneity, focusing on the roles of the prestalk-cell inducer differentiation-inducing factor-1 (DIF-1), the tip inducer cAMP and the transcription factors that mediate their actions; these include signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins, basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins and a Myb protein of a class previously described only in plants.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK. j.g.williams@dundee.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jeffrey G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006588:Hexanones / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: C107317:CudA protein, Dictyostelium discoideum; D006588:Hexanones; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; C426583:STATa protein, Dictyostelium; C053433:1-((3,5-dichloro)-2,6-dihydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-1-hexanone; D000242:Cyclic AMP