Cyclic AMP and the control of aggregative phase gene expression in Dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract

The induction of aggregative phase functions and the acceleration of the onset of aggregation competence by nanomolar pulses of cyclic AMP can be mimicked by exposing developing cells to a high extracellular concentration of either cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP (5 × 10 −4 M) during the first 1–2 hr of development. Pulses of cyclic AMP have previously been shown to result in oscillations of intracellular cyclic AMP concentration; we show that high extracellular concentrations of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP cause intracellular cyclic AMP levels to increase. We describe a mutant, HM11, which has elevated levels of intracellular cyclic AMP from the beginning of development and which begins to accumulate cell-associated phosphodiesterase, an aggregative phase enzyme, within an hour of starvation. Our data suggest that the expression of aggregative phase functions is controlled by an elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP which may be either continuous or periodic.