Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) regulates many cell fate decisions in animal development. In multicellular structures of the group 4 dictyostelid Dictyostelium discoideum, GSK3 promotes spore over stalk-like differentiation. We investigated whether, similar to other sporulation-inducing genes such as cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), this role of GSK3 is derived from an ancestral role in encystation of unicellular amoebas. We deleted GSK3 in Polysphondylium pallidum, a group 2 dictyostelid which has retained encystation as an alternative survival strategy. Loss of GSK3 inhibited cytokinesis of cells in suspension, as also occurs in D. discoideum, but did not affect spore or stalk differentiation in P. pallidum. However, gsk3− amoebas entered into encystation under conditions that in wild type favour aggregation and fruiting body formation. The gsk3− cells were hypersensitive to osmolytes, which are known to promote encystation, and to cyst-inducing factors that are secreted during starvation. GSK3 was not itself regulated by these factors, but inhibited their effects. Our data show that GSK3 has a deeply conserved role in controlling cytokinesis, but not spore differentiation in Dictyostelia. Instead, in P. pallidum, one of many Dictyostelia that like their solitary ancestors can still encyst to survive starvation, GSK3 promotes multicellular development into fruiting bodies over unicellular encystment.
Journal Article True Spore Germination Inhibitor of a Cellular Slime Mold Dictyostelium discoideum Get access Yoshimasa Tanaka, Yoshimasa Tanaka Genetics Laboratory, Isotope Research Institute, Fukazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo 158, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Kaichiro Yanagisawa, Kaichiro Yanagisawa Genetics Laboratory, Isotope Research Institute, Fukazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo 158, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Yoichi Hashimoto, Yoichi Hashimoto Genetics Laboratory, Isotope Research Institute, Fukazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo 158, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Masashi Yamaguchi Masashi Yamaguchi Department of Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Setagaya, Tokyo 158, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, Volume 38, Issue 3, 1 March 1974, Pages 689–690, https://doi.org/10.1080/00021369.1974.10861219 Published: 01 March 1974 Article history Received: 27 December 1973 Published: 01 March 1974
Differential gene expression of Dictyostelium discoideum after infection with Legionella pneumophila was investigated using DNA microarrays. Investigation of a 48 h time course of infection revealed several clusters of co-regulated genes, an enrichment of preferentially up- or downregulated genes in distinct functional categories and also showed that most of the transcriptional changes occurred 24 h after infection. A detailed analysis of the 24 h time point post infection was performed in comparison to three controls, uninfected cells and co-incubation with Legionella hackeliae and L. pneumophilaDeltadotA. One hundred and thirty-one differentially expressed D. discoideum genes were identified as common to all three experiments and are thought to be involved in the pathogenic response. Functional annotation of the differentially regulated genes revealed that apart from triggering a stress response Legionella apparently not only interferes with intracellular vesicle fusion and destination but also profoundly influences and exploits the metabolism of its host. For some of the identified genes, e.g. rtoA involvement in the host response has been demonstrated in a recent study, for others such a role appears plausible. The results provide the basis for a better understanding of the complex host-pathogen interactions and for further studies on the Dictyostelium response to Legionella infection.
The AMIDER, Advanced Multidisciplinary Integrated-Database for Exploring new Research, is a newly developed research data catalog to demonstrate an advanced database application. AMIDER is characterized as a multidisciplinary database equipped with a user-friendly web application. Its catalog view displays diverse research data at once beyond any limitation of each individual discipline. Some useful functions, such as a selectable data download, data format conversion, and display of data visual information, are also implemented. Further advanced functions, such as visualization of dataset mutual relationship, are also implemented as a preliminary trial. These characteristics and functions are expected to enhance the accessibility to individual research data, even from non-expertized users, and be helpful for collaborations among diverse scientific fields beyond individual disciplines. Multidisciplinary data management is also one of AMIDER's uniqueness, where various metadata schemas can be mapped to a uniform metadata table, and standardized and self-describing data formats are adopted. AMIDER website (https://amider.rois.ac.jp/) had been launched in April 2024. As of July 2024, over 15,000 metadata in various research fields of polar science have been registered in the database, and approximately 500 visitors are viewing the website every day on average. Expansion of the database to further multidisciplinary scientific fields, not only polar science, is planned, and advanced attempts, such as applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) to metadata, have also been considered.
Differentiation is a highly regulated process whereby cells become specialized to perform specific functions and lose the ability to perform others. In contrast, the question of whether dedifferentiation is a genetically determined process, or merely an unregulated loss of the differentiated state, has not been resolved. We show here that dedifferentiation in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum relies on a sequence of events that is independent of the original developmental state and involves the coordinated expression of a specific set of genes. A defect in one of these genes, the histidine kinase dhkA , alters the kinetics of dedifferentiation and uncouples the progression of dedifferentiation events. These observations establish dedifferentiation as a genetically determined process and suggest the existence of a developmental checkpoint that ensures a return path to the undifferentiated state.
