Protein phosphatase 4 is involved in the late development of Dictyostelium discoideum

Ichiro Kamei, Kozo Takamoto, Naoya Sakuragi, Eiji Tanesaka, Motonobu Yoshida

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Department of Agricultural Science, Kinki University, Nara, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ojmip.2013.32008                

Abstract

A cDNA clone SSJ337 (accession no. AF161253) of 1230 bp, encoding a catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 4, was selected as one of the clones expressed specifically in prestalk cells from a cDNA library of D. discoideum slugs. Cells transformed with a knockout construct of SSJ337 showed an aberrant and tiny fruiting-body formation with a short stalk. A knockout mutant, SSJ337KO was allowed to develop much slower than a wild-type AX2 after the post-aggregation stage. This suggested that the SSJ337 cDNA clone has played an important role especially in the later development of Dictyostelium discoideum. Results from Northern blotting, analysis showed that transcripts for SSJ337 were accumulated at 16 h to 24 h after starvation began.

Keywords

Dictyostelium; Protein Phosphatase; Fruiting-Body Formation; Knockout Mutant

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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