Interaction of gdt1 and protein kinase A (PKA) in the growth-differentiation-transition in Dictyostelium

Protein kinase A regulates the Ras, Rap1 and TORC2 pathways in response to the chemoattractant cAMP in Dictyostelium

Efficient directed migration requires tight regulation of chemoattractant signal transduction pathways in both space and time, but the mechanisms involved in such regulation are not well understood. Here, we investigated the role of protein kinase A (PKA) in controlling signaling of the chemoattractant cAMP in Dictyostelium discoideum We found that cells lacking PKA display severe chemotaxis defects, including impaired directional sensing. Although PKA is an important regulator of developmental gene expression, including the cAMP receptor cAR1, our studies using exogenously expressed cAR1 in cells lacking PKA, cells lacking adenylyl cyclase A (ACA) and cells treated with the PKA-selective pharmacological inhibitor H89, suggest that PKA controls chemoattractant signal transduction, in part, through the regulation of RasG, Rap1 and TORC2. As these pathways control the ACA-mediated production of intracellular cAMP, they lie upstream of PKA in this chemoattractant signaling network. Consequently, we propose that the PKA-mediated regulation of the upstream RasG, Rap1 and TORC2 signaling pathways is part of a negative feedback mechanism controlling chemoattractant signal transduction during Dictyostelium chemotaxis.

Developmental timing in Dictyostelium is regulated by the Set1 histone methyltransferase

Histone-modifying enzymes have enormous potential as regulators of the large-scale changes in gene expression occurring during differentiation. It is unclear how different combinations of histone modification coordinate regimes of transcription during development. We show that different methylation states of lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4) mark distinct developmental phases of the simple eukaryote, Dictyostelium. We demonstrate that the enzyme responsible for all mono, di and tri-methylation of H3K4 is the Dictyostelium homolog of the Set1 histone methyltransferase. In the absence of Set1, cells display unusually rapid development, characterized by precocious aggregation of amoebae into multicellular aggregates. Early differentiation markers are abundantly expressed in growing set1 cells, indicating the differentiation program is ectopically activated during growth. This phenotype is caused specifically by the loss of Set1 catalytic activity. Set1 mutants induce premature differentiation in wild-type cells, indicating Set1 regulates production of an extra-cellular factor required for the correct perception of growth conditions. Microarray analysis of the set1 mutants reveals genomic clustering of mis-expressed genes, suggesting a requirement for Set1 in the regulation of chromatin-mediated events at gene clusters.

Gdt2 regulates the transition of Dictyostelium cells from growth to differentiation

Background

Dictyostelium life cycle consists of two distinct phases – growth and development. The control of growth-differentiation transition in Dictyostelium is not completely understood, and only few genes involved in this process are known.

Results

We have isolated a REMI (restriction enzyme-mediated integration) mutant, which prematurely initiates multicellular development. When grown on a bacterial lawn, these cells aggregate before the bacteria are completely cleared. In bacterial suspension, mutant cells express the developmental marker discoidin Iγ even at low cell densities and high concentrations of bacteria. In the absence of nutrients, mutant cells aggregate more rapidly than wild type, but the rest of development is unaffected and normal fruiting bodies are formed. The disrupted gene shows substantial homology to the recently described gdt1 gene, and therefore was named gdt2. While GDT1 and GDT2 are similar in many ways, there are intriguing differences. GDT2 contains a well conserved protein kinase domain, unlike GDT1, whose kinase domain is probably non-functional. The gdt2 and gdt1 mRNAs are regulated differently, with gdt2 but not gdt1 expressed throughout development. The phenotypes of gdt2^- and gdt1^- mutants are related but not identical. While both initiate development early, gdt2^- cells grow at a normal rate, unlike gdt1^- mutants. Protein kinase A levels and activity are essentially normal in growing gdt2^- mutants, implying that GDT2 regulates a pathway that acts separately from PKA. Gdt1 and gdt2 are the first identified members of a family containing at least eight closely related genes.

Conclusions

We have isolated and characterised a new gene, gdt2, which acts to restrain development until conditions are appropriate. We also described a family of related genes in the Dictyostelium genome. We hypothesise that different family members might control similar cellular processes, but respond to different environmental cues.