Late Aggregation Research Articles

A novel P159L mutation in the Parkin gene related to autosomal dominantly inherited late onset parkinsonism and protein aggregation

A novel P159L mutation in the Parkin gene related to autosomal dominantly inherited late onset parkinsonism and protein aggregation

A putative serpentine receptor gene tasA required for normal morphogenesis of primary stalk and branch structure in Polysphondylium pallidum

The fruiting body of Polysphondylium pallidum is composed of whorls of branches along the axis of a primary stalk. In the course of fruiting body formation, the interval between neighboring whorls and the number and the spacing of branches in a whorl are highly regulated. In this study, using restriction enzyme mediated integration mutagenesis, we have obtained a mutant (strain M6226) with thicker and aberrant primary stalk. The gene responsible for the mutant phenotype, confirmed by homologous recombination, encodes an open reading frame with 383 aa residues (46.3 kDa) and was named thick and aberrant stalk A ( tasA). TasA is highly homologous to Dictyostelium discoideum cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate receptors. A tasA transcript is expressed strictly at the late aggregation stage. Cells expressing a tasA::gfp fusion DNA are localized at the posterior region of the primary sorogen where secondary sorogens and branches originate. This result indicates the existence of ‘prebranch’ and ‘pretrunk’ regions in P. pallidum instead of the prespore and prestalk regions in D. discoideum. The analyzes of the gene disruptant and chimeric fruiting bodies also suggests that TasA affects the normal morphogenesis of the primary stalk and the process of cell differentiation into prebranch cells, but not into spore or stalk cells directly.

Developmentally and spatially regulated activation of a Dictyostelium STAT protein by a serpentine receptor.

Dd-STAT, the protein that in part controls Dictyostelium stalk cell differentiation, is a structural and functional homolog of metazoan signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs). Although present during growth and throughout development, Dd-STAT's tyrosine phosphorylation and nuclear localization are developmentally and spatially regulated. Prior to late aggregation, Dd-STAT is not tyrosine phosphorylated and is not selectively localized in the nucleus. During mound formation, the time at which cell-type specific gene expression initiates, Dd-STAT becomes tyrosine phosphorylated and translocates into the nuclei of all cells. The tyrosine phosphorylation and nuclear localization of Dd-STAT are induced very rapidly by extracellular cAMP through the serpentine cAMP receptor cAR1, with Dd-STAT tyrosine phosphorylation being detectable within 10 s of stimulation. This activation is independent of the only known Gbeta subunit, suggesting that it may be G-protein independent. Nuclear enrichment of Dd-STAT is selectively maintained within the sub-population of prestalk cells that form the tip, the organizing center of the slug, but is lost in most of the other cells of the slug. This spatial patterning of Dd-STAT nuclear localization is consistent with its known role as a negative regulator of stalk-cell differentiation.

Analysis of Optical Density Wave Propagation and Cell Movement during Mound Formation inDictyostelium discoideum

Aggregation fields ofDictyosteliumamoebae are organized by propagating concentric or spiral waves of cAMP. These waves coordinate cell movement directed toward the aggregation center. We now systematically investigated dark-field wave propagation and chemotactic cell movement during late aggregation and mound formation. The period and the signal propagation velocity decreased continuously during aggregation leading to a 15-fold decrease of the chemical wavelength. By analyzing the behavior of single GFP-labeled cells in aggregates and mounds we measured cell movement velocity, changes in cell shape, periodicity of cell movement, and cell trajectories. In early mounds of strain AX-3 dark-field waves propagated frequently as multiarmed (high-frequency) spirals. During the high-frequency waves observed in the early mound stage, cell movement speed is low and cell movement rather undirected. During tip formation the wave period decreased again and the cells started to rotate in the mound at unusually high average speeds of 40 μm/min. The rotation was almost monotonic with no clear periodicity. Since at this time the majority of the cells had already differentiated into prespore cells, this implies that prespore cells moved faster than aggregation stage cells. At 12 hr of development cell movement velocity dropped again and became highly periodic. These measurements show that the relay system is characterized by a specific temporal evolution, which is closely correlated with cellular differentiation. The remarkable changes in cell movement speed and period indicate a qualitative change in signal and movement parameters which might well be caused by the observed switch from high- to low-affinity cAMP receptors during mound formation. This switch might be required to copy with the increase in cell density and most likely plays a crucial role in the process of cell sorting.

Cyclin B and Cdc2 Expression and Cd2 Kinase Activity DuringDictyosteliumDifferentiation

Although Dictyostelium differentiation occurs in the absence of external nutrients, two periods of mitosis occur, one during early development and one during the formation of the migrating pseudoplasmodium. We showed previously that cyclin B mRNA levels vary in a cell cycle dependent manner during vegetative cell growth. In the present study, we report that cyclin B mRNA levels change dramatically during development, reaching a maximum at the tipped aggregate stage. However, amounts of cyclin B protein vary only slightly, peaking during early development and decreasing during late aggregation and pseudoplasmodial formation. Cdc2 protein levels also remain relatively constant during development. Cdc2-histone H1 kinase activity was considerably higher in vegetative cell extracts of transformants that expressed large amounts of truncated cyclin B protein in comparison to extracts of the parental Ax-2 cells. These results suggest that Cdc2 kinase activity is dependent upon the level of cyclin B in vegetative cells. This result is consistent with the idea that variations in the level of cyclin B during growth regulate the cell cycle. When Cdc2 histone H1 kinase activity was determined during development, it was also found that activity correlated reasonably well with the amount of cyclin B protein. Thus, there was an increase in Cdc2 histone H1 kinase activity early in development, and then levels decreased as development progressed. The increase in Cdc2 histone H1 kinase activity that occurs early in development following starvation may be important in accelerating G2-phase cells through into mitosis. There was no increase in Cdc2 histone H1 kinase that accompanied the previously reported late developmental mitosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mitochondrial DNA replication but no nuclear DNA replication during development of Dictyostelium.

Dictyostelium discoideum cells initiate development when nutrients are depleted. DNA synthesis decreases rapidly thereafter but resumes during late aggregation, only in prespore cells. This observation has been previously interpreted as indicating progression of prespore cells through the cell cycle during development. We show that developmental DNA replication occurs only in mitochondria and not in nuclei. We also show that the prestalk morphogen known as differentiation-inducing factor 1 can inhibit mitochondrial respiration. A model is proposed for cell type divergence, based on competition to become prespores, that involves mitochondrial replication in prespore cells and reduction of mitochondrial activity in prestalk cells.

Identification and targeted gene disruption of cAR3, a cAMP receptor subtype expressed during multicellular stages of Dictyostelium development.

Extracellular cAMP acts through cell-surface receptors to coordinate the developmental program of Dictyostelium. A cAMP receptor (cAR1), which is expressed during early aggregation, has been cloned and sequenced previously. We have identified a new receptor subtype, cAR3, that has approximately 56% and 69% amino acid identity with cAR1 and cAR2, respectively. cAR1, cAR2, or cAR3 expressed from plasmid in growing Dictyostelium cells can be photoaffinity labeled with 8-N3[32P]cAMP and phosphorylated when stimulated with cAMP. cAR3 RNA was not present during growth but appeared during late aggregation. Its expression peaked at 9 hr and then fell to a reduced level that was maintained until culmination. The expression of cAR3 protein followed a similar pattern, but with a 3-hr lag, and reached a maximum at the mound stage. In contrast, cAR1 protein was expressed predominantly during early aggregation and at low levels during later stages. At their respective peaks of expression, there were approximately 5 x 10(3) cAR3 sites per cell compared with approximately 7 x 10(4) cAR2 sites per cell. The cAR3 gene was disrupted by homologous recombination in several different parental cell lines. Surprisingly, the car3- cell lines display no obvious phenotype.

Establishment and maintenance of stable spatial patterns in lacZ fusion transformants of Polysphondylium pallidum.

Polysphondylium pallidum cells were transformed with a construct containing the Dictyostelium discoideum ecmA promoter fused to a lacZ reporter gene. Two stably transformed lines, one in which beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) is expressed in apical cells of the fruiting body (p63/2.1), and one in which it is expressed in basal cells (p63/D), have enabled us to infer how cells move during aggregation and culmination. Several types of cell movement proposed to occur during slime mold culmination, such as random cell mixing and global cell circulation, can be ruled out on the basis of our observations. Cells of the two transformant lines express beta-gal very early in development. In both cases, stained cells are randomly scattered in a starving population. By mid to late aggregation, characteristic spatial patterns emerge. Marked cells of p63/2.1 are found predominantly at tips of tight aggregates; those of p63/D accumulate at the periphery. These patterns are conserved throughout culmination, showing that marked cells maintain their relative positions within the multicellular mass following aggregation. Neither the apical nor the basal pattern appears to be regulated within the primary sorogen by de novo gene expression or by cell sorting as whorls are formed. However, marked cells within a whorl re-establish the original pattern in secondary sorogens. This must be achieved by cell migration, since beta-gal is not re-expressed.

Conditional intercellular cohesion in a Dictyostelium discoideum mutant which is temperature sensitive for correct processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides.

Mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum have been isolated by a selection for cells with temperature-sensitive defects in the maturation of glycoprotein N-linked oligosaccharides. Here we describe a mutant, HT7, which is unable to aggregate at the restrictive temperature, but which aggregates and makes fruiting bodies at the permissive temperature. HT7 shows normal early developmental intercellular cohesion, but is temperature sensitive for expression of the ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-resistant cohesion characteristic of aggregation. The mutant initiates aggregation, but forms only loose cell mounds which later disperse. Metabolic labelling studies indicate that the thermolabile defect is not in protein synthesis, assembly of the lipid-linked precursor of N-linked oligosaccharides or transfer of the precursor to proteins. However, the defect does prevent assembly of fully processed N-linked oligosaccharides. Further, two glycopeptides, obtained from exhaustive Pronase digests of wild-type plasma membrane glycoproteins, inhibit intercellular cohesion of aggregation-stage wild-type cells. HT7 produces only approximately 50% of the wild-type level of these glycopeptides at the restrictive temperature and one of the glycopeptides has reduced cohesion inhibition ability. A revertant of HT7 was found to aggregate normally, to have restored EDTA-resistant cohesion, to have normal profiles of N-linked oligosaccharides and to express the two cohesion-inhibiting glycopeptides normally. These data strongly support a model in which cohesion during late aggregation is at least in part due to recognition between surface glycans and receptors on neighbouring cells.

A spatial gradient of expression of a cAMP-regulated prespore cell-type-specific gene in Dictyostelium.

Previously, we identified a class of genes in Dictyostelium that are prespore cell-type specific in their expression in the multicellular aggregate and are inducible by cAMP acting through cell-surface cAMP receptors. In this paper, we report the cloning and analysis of the regulatory regions controlling the expression of one such gene that encodes a spore coat protein, SP60. By use of a fusion of the firefly luciferase gene and Escherichia coli lacZ [expresses beta-galactosidase (beta-gal)], we have identified cis-acting regions required for proper spatial and temporal expression in multicellular aggregates and for cAMP induction in shaking cell culture. Deletion analysis suggests that a CA-rich element (CAE) and surrounding sequences present three times within the 5'-flanking sequence are required for proper regulation. SP60-lacZ fusions that include all three of these regions express lacZ only in the posterior approximately 85% of migrating slugs (prespore zone). Studies show that SP60 is expressed during mid to late aggregation, and SP60-lacZ-positive cells are spatially localized as a doughnut-shaped ring within the forming aggregate. Cells within the skirt that surrounds the aggregate and that are still migrating into the aggregate do not stain. Sequential 5' deletions of CAEs and surrounding regions affect the expression level of SP60-luciferase in response to developmental signals and cAMP, as well as the spatial pattern of SP60-lacZ. Deletion of the first (most 5') of these regions restricts the spatial expression of SP60-lacZ fusions to the anterior of the prespore zone. When both the first and second regions are removed, the expression level drops, and the staining is restricted to the prespore/prestalk boundary. Furthermore, the staining pattern that is seen with these two deletions is present as a gradient from anterior to posterior within the prespore zone. Deletion of all three regions results in a loss of both cAMP and developmentally induced expression. These results suggest the presence of a gradient within the prespore zone that differentially affects the activity of promoters containing different numbers of response elements.

Thermotaxis and the role of the Dictyostelium discoideum slug tip.

A pseudoplasmodium or slug of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum sometimes shows positive thermotaxis or negative thermotaxis, this depending upon the relation between the temperature of amoeba growth to the late aggregation stage and the temperature of the migrating point. In this experiment, we investigated characteristics of ther-motaxis as a result of a tip exchange between positive thermotactic slugs and negative ones. Most of the tip-exchanged slugs showed negative thermotaxis. In phototaxis, it has been reported that the tip determines the migrating direction. In thermotaxis, however, this is not possible, and it is highly likely that the negatively thermotactic phenotype is dominant.

The contact site A glycoprotein mediates cell-cell adhesion by homophilic binding in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Dictyostelium discoideum expresses a developmentally regulated cell surface glycoprotein of Mr 80,000 (gp80), which has been implicated in the formation of the EDTA-resistant contact sites A at the cell aggregation stage. To determine whether gp80 participates directly in cell binding and, if so, its mode of action, we conjugated purified gp80 to Covaspheres (Covalent Technology Corp., Ann Arbor, MI) and investigated their ability to bind to cells. The binding of gp80-Covaspheres was dependent on the developmental stage of the cells, with maximal interaction at the late aggregation stage. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed the clustering of gp80-Covaspheres at the polar ends of these cells, similar to the pattern of gp80 distribution on the cell surface as reported earlier (Choi, A. H. C., and Siu, C.-H., 1987, J. Cell Biol., 104:1375-1387). Precoating cells with an adhesion-blocking anti-gp80 monoclonal antibody inhibited the binding of gp80-Covaspheres, suggesting that Covasphere-associated gp80 might undergo homophilic interaction with gp80 on the cell surface. Quantitative binding of 125I-labeled gp80 to intact cells gave an estimate of 1.5 X 10(5) binding sites per cell at the aggregation stage. Binding of soluble gp80 to cells was blocked by precoating cells with the anti-gp80 monoclonal antibody. The ability of gp80 to undergo homophilic interaction was further tested in a filter-binding assay, which showed that 125I-labeled gp80 was able to interact with gp80 bound on nitrocellulose in a dosage-dependent manner. In addition, reassociation of cells was significantly inhibited in the presence of soluble gp80, suggesting that gp80 has a single cell-binding site. These results are consistent with the notion that gp80 mediates cell-cell binding at the aggregation stage of development via homophilic interaction.

Aggregation Processes in the NaCl:Eu2+, Mn2+ System and Energy Transfer Mechanisms

AbstractEnergy transfer processes are studied in NaCl:Eu2+, Mn2+ samples, along the annealing treatments that are performed at RT and at 100 °C; the Eu ions and/or Eu aggregates act as donors and Mn ions and/or Mn aggregates act as acceptors. For the samples annealed at RT, a single pair transfer mechanism is evidenced at the early annealing stages, while at late annealing stages a fast energy migration in the donor system followed by a phonon assisted transfer is observed. For the annealing at 100 °C at late aggregation stages the most probable transfer process seems to be connected to a slow energy diffusion in the donor system followed by the transfer to the acceptors. The Mn2+ emission band, that is detectable as a consequence of the EuMn transfer shows a complex behaviour.

The developmental regulation of phosphatidylinositol kinase in Dictyostelium discoideum

Phosphatidylinositol kinase was examined in Dictyostelium discoideum since this organism offers molecular and genetic advantages to study the role of phosphatidylinositol metabolism during cell growth and development. D. discoideum homogenates phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol to form phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate in a reaction which was found to be linear with time and cell concentration. Optimal activity was obtained in the presence of 1 mM MgCl 2 and pH 7.6 and has an apparent K m for ATP of about 250 μM. Changes in phosphatidylinositol kinase were examined during D. discoideum development. Activity increased about 2-fold, 4 h after removal of the food source, to decline to almost no activity at late aggregation. During slug formation the activity increased about 15-fold and remained constant during further development. These results suggest a role for D. discoideum phosphatidylinositol kinase during development.

Effects of Low Temperature on Differentiation of Dictyostelium Cells in the Vegetative and Preaggregation Stages: (Dictyostelium discoideum/spore-specific antigen/immunoblotting/cell density/low temperature).

The effects of low temperature on differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum cells in the vegetative and preaggregation stages were examined immunohistochemically and electronmicroscopically. Ultimately cells in both stages were found to stain with FITC-conjugated anti-Dictyostelium mucoroides spore antibody at low tempeature (5°C) in nutrient-rich medium under submerged conditions. These cells were sensitive to 0.1% Triton X-100. In contrast, cells in the late aggregation stage were converted to detergent-resistant spores. Irrespective of their high stainability with antispore-Ig, these cells did not contain the prespore-specific vacuoles (PSVs) and spore-coats characteristic of stainable cells. From these facts, it is concluded that cells in the vegetative and preaggregation stages are unable to differentiate at low temperature into prespore and spore cells, which have PSVs and spore-coats, respectively. The composition of spore-specific (SS) antigens accumulated by these cells was examined by immunoblotting. Results showed that under these conditions the cells mainly produced one SS-antigen, namely SP70. The effects of cell density and components of the medium on the production of SS-antigens were also examined.

Patterns of cell differentiation in several cellular slime mold species

The generation of patterns of cell differentiation in several slime mold species was studied by immunohistology and electron microscopy. In all species differentiation of prespore cells was visible from the late aggregation stage onward. In the species Dictyostelium lacteum, D. minutum, and Polysphondylium violaceum, stalk cells are formed at the apices of slugs and culminating structures by redifferentiation of prespore cells. In D. purpureum and D. discoideum, stalk cells are formed from cells which have not yet differentiated into prespore cells or which have lost their prespore properties at an earlier stage; formation of a prepattern in these species is probably due to sorting. Differences among the species mainly concern the proportion of the organism which is occupied by a region where prespore differentiation is actively counteracted. A relatively large prespore cell-free region is correlated with the capacity of the apex to organize a relatively large number of cells into a single fruiting body. The possible combined control of cell differentiation and morphogenetic movement is discussed.

The origin of prespore vacuoles in Dictyostelium discoideum cells as analysed by electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry and radioautography.

Prespore vacuoles (PSVs) are specifically formed in prespore cells of the cellular slime moulds and contain spore-specific antigens. We have examined the processes of PSV formation in Dictyostelium discoideum, using both the methods of immunoelectron microscopy with antispore serum and electron-microscopic radioautography with [3H]fucose, which is specifically incorporated into prespore cells. When prespore cells begin to differentiate at the late aggregation stages the Golgi apparatus, consisting of stacked cisternae and numerous vesicles, becomes conspicuous. Vesicles and flat sacs containing fibrous and membranous materials, respectively, are derived from Golgi cisternae. Spore antigens are found in these structures as well as in immature and mature PSVs. Fucose is incorporated into the same structures. When prespore differentiation is completed, the Golgi cisternae almost disappear and both antigens and fucose are localized in mature PSVs. The Golgi apparatus is scarcely observable in prestalk cells. Moreover, a similar pattern of changes in the Golgi apparatus and related structures occurs during the re-differentiation of prespore cells within prestalk isolates. It is concluded from these findings that PSVs are derived from the Golgi apparatus, the development of which is closely related to the differentiation of prespore cells.

Major changes in gene expression occur during at least four stages of development of Dictyostelium discoideum

The spectrum of proteins synthesized at different stages of development of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum was analyzed by two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis. Of the approximately 400 proteins detected by this method 189 show changes in their relative rate of synthesis. Most of these changes occur during four distinct stages of development: commencement of development immediately following removal of nutrients (early interphase), early aggregation, late aggregation, and culmination. During commencement the synthesis of 19 proteins begins, the relative rate of synthesis of 21 other proteins increases, and 16 proteins show a rapid decrease in their synthetic rate. During early aggregation the largest change occurs in the spectrum of proteins being synthesized. Specifically, the synthesis of 29 new proteins begins and an increase occurs in the relative synthetic rate of 43 others. During late aggregation, when tight cell-cell contacts form, a reduction takes place in the synthetic rate of most of these induced proteins in addition to the synthesis of 12 new proteins. At least two of these induced proteins are synthesized exclusively in prespore and eventually spore cells. Finally, during culmination, 23 new proteins begin to be synthesized and the synthetic rate of 12 other proteins increases. Five of the 23 newly synthesized proteins appear to be stalk-cell specific. In general, synthesis of spore-cell specific proteins begins just following the formation of tight aggregates while stalk-cell specific proteins are induced during culmination. The relative amounts of mRNAs coding for most of the early developmentally regulated proteins have been estimated by their translation in rabbit reticulocyte lysates and subsequent analysis of protein products by 2D gel electrophoresis. For most of those proteins whose rate of synthesis increases in vivo following starvation there is a parallel increase in the cellular level of the functional mRNAs encoding them. This suggests that the genes coding for these mRNAs may be under transcriptional control. In contrast, the mRNAs coding for most of the proteins whose synthetic rate decreases early in development are under translational control and persist in the cell in an inactive state.

Adhesion of Dictyostelium discoideum cells to carbohydrates immobilized in polyacrylamide gels. I. Evidence for three sugar-specific cell surface receptors.

Dictyostelium discoideum cells appear to be able to recognize particular carbohydrate prosthetic groups at different stages in their life cycle. We therefore used our previously developed model system (consisting of polyacrylamide gels containing putative ligands covalently linked to the polymer) to determine the receptors on these cells capable of recognizing carbohydrates. D. discoideum cells, at different developmental stages from growth phase to late aggregation, were incubated with the derivatized gels, and the number of adherent cells was determined by measuring alanine transaminase after cell lysis. From 70 to 100% of the cells firmly adhered to gels derivatized with glucose, maltose, or cellobiose. The cells were also capable of binding to N-acetylglucosamine and mannose, but both the rate and the extent of binding to these sugars were less than those observed with the glucose derivatives. Furthermore, binding to N-acetylglucosamine decreased to negligible levels during the aggregation stage of development. The cells did not bind to the glucose-derivatized gels in the presence of glucose and a variety of carbohydrates containing glucose at the nonreducing termini, whereas binding was not inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine, mannose, and derivatives of these sugars. Adhesion to all sugars was blocked by 2,4-dinitrophenol. This inhibitor also reversed the binding to gels containing N-acetylglucosamine and mannose, but not to glucose. Differential binding to the three monosaccharides was also observed under conditions affecting the normal amoeboid shape of the cells. In addition, adhesion to N-acetylglucosamine and mannose was trypsin-sensitive, whereas adhesion to glucose was only slightly affected by treating the cells with trypsin (and cycloheximide). These and other results suggest that D. discoideum cell adhesion to derivatized gels is mediated by three different receptors, one highly specific for glucose and two (probably less specific) for N-acetylglucosamine and mannose.

Inhibitors of Fruiting-body Formation and Challenge Time Experiments in Myxococcus xanthus

Purines, amino acids and their analogues, polypeptide and other antibiotics, and a range of other chemicals were screened by a spot-testing technique for inhibition of vegetative growth, or of fruiting-body formation, in the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. Selected fruiting inhibitors were tested by challenge time-transfer experiments. In general, delayed addition of inhibitors up to the time of late aggregation prevented subsequent completion of fruiting. Conversely, cells held in the presence of a fruiting inhibitor for extended periods did not rapidly lose the ability to fruit subsequently on removal of the inhibitor.