Ammonia promotes accumulation of intracellular cAMP in differentiating amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum.

We used sporogenous mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum to investigate the mechanism(s) by which exogenous NH4Cl and high ambient pH promote spore formation during in vitro differentiation. The level of NH4Cl required to optimize spore formation is correlated inversely with pH, indicating that NH3 rather than NH4+ is the active species. The spore-promoting activity of high ambient pH (without exogenous NH4Cl) was eliminated by the addition of an NH3-scavenging cocktail, suggesting that high pH promotes spore differentiation by increasing the ratio of NH3:NH4+ secreted into the medium by developing cells. High ammonia levels and high pH stimulated precocious accumulation of intracellular cAMP in both sporogenous and wild-type cells. In both treatments, peak cAMP levels equaled or exceeded control levels and were maintained for longer periods than in control cells. In contrast, ammonia strongly inhibited accumulation of extracellular cAMP without increasing the rate of extracellular cAMP hydrolysis, indicating that ammonia promotes accumulation of intracellular cAMP by inhibiting cAMP secretion. These results are consistent with previous observations that factors that raise intracellular cAMP levels increase spore formation. Lowering intracellular cAMP levels with caffeine or progesterone inhibited spore formation, but simultaneous exposure to these drugs and optimal concentrations of NH4Cl restored both cAMP accumulation and spore formation to normal levels. These data suggest that ammonia, which is a natural Dictyostelium morphogen, favors spore formation by promoting accumulation or maintenance of high intracellular cAMP levels.

Conditions that alter intracellular cAMP levels affect expression of the cAMP phosphodiesterase gene in Dictyostelium.

We examined expression of the Dictyostelium cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) gene under conditions that alter intracellular cAMP levels during in vitro differentiation of wild-type strain V12M2 and a sporogenous derivative, HB200. In control cultures, cellular PDE activity peaked at 6 hr and declined by 8 hr, while secreted PDE activity continued to increase through 8 hr. Lowering intracellular cAMP levels with caffeine or progesterone increased cellular and secreted PDE activities 2-fold, increased stalk cell differentiation, and inhibited spore differentiation. In contrast, exposure to 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP; a membrane-permeable cAMP analog) or ammonia (which promotes intracellular cAMP accumulation in V12M2 and HB200 cells) lowered PDE activities by as much as 45%, decreased stalk cell differentiation, and increased spore differentiation. Simultaneous exposure to 8-Br-cAMP and caffeine gave intermediate PDE activities as would be expected if 8-Br-cAMP entered the cell and bypassed the caffeine-mediated block to adenylate cyclase activation. In all cases, we observed commensurate changes in developmental PDE transcript levels. The developmental time course of expression was not significantly altered by these treatments. These results suggest that the magnitude of PDE gene expression is negatively regulated by intracellular cAMP levels and provide evidence for one of the earliest changes in gene expression that is consistent with cell-type specificity. These results are discussed in terms of a bistable switch employing intracellular cAMP as a regulator of cell fate.

Conditions that elevate intracellular cyclic AMP levels promote spore formation in Dictyostelium.

We have been using sporogenous mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum strain V12M2 to study regulation of cell fate during terminal differentiation of spores and stalk cells. Analyses of intracellular cAMP accumulation, cAMP secretion, cAMP binding to cell surface receptors, and chemotactic sensitivity to exogenous cAMP during aggregation showed that all of these functions were identical in V12M2 and HB200, a sporogenous mutant. We used several methods of altering intracellular cAMP levels in HB200 cells to test the hypothesis that intracellular cAMP levels affect cell fate. First, HB200 amoebae were treated with 5 mM caffeine for 4 h during growth, washed, and allowed to develop in the absence of caffeine. Treated cells had normal levels of intracellular cAMP and adenylate cyclase activities at the beginning of differentiation; by 6 h development, they contained two to three times more intracellular cAMP and two times more GTP-dependent adenylate cyclase activity than untreated cells. However, their level of basal Mn++-dependent adenylate cyclase activity was the same as untreated controls. Thus, treatment of growing HB200 amoebae with caffeine for only 4 h leads to hyperinduction of a GTP-dependent regulator (or inhibition of a negative regulator) of adenylate cyclase during subsequent differentiation, without induction of basal activity. The fraction of amoebae forming spores increased twofold when HB200 amoebae were treated with caffeine during growth. Spore (but not stalk cell) differentiation by such treated cells was blocked by inhibitors of cAMP accumulation. Second, cells grown on nutrient agar accumulated higher levels of intracellular cAMP and formed more spores in vitro than cells grown in shaken suspension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Rapid isolation of monoclonal antibodies specific for cell surface differentiation antigens.

Two immunization procedures were compared for their ability to yield monoclonal antibodies that react with plasma membrane-bound differentiation antigens of Dictyostelium. In the first method, hybridomas prepared from BALB/c mice immunized with aggregating amoebae produced monoclonal antibodies that recognized antigens present on both growing and aggregating Dictyostelium amoebae. None of the monoclonal antibodies reacted with only the injected aggregation-stage cell type. In contrast, monoclonal antibodies that reacted with differentiation antigens were easily obtained by primary immunization of BALB/c mice with living aggregation-stage cells, followed by secondary immunization with a preparation of plasma membrane from aggregating cells or intact aggregating cells mixed with polyclonal BALB/c antiserum raised against undifferentiated cells. By this method, approximately 20% of all anti-Dictyostelium monoclonal antibodies obtained in a fusion are specific for differentiation antigens. The properties and developmental regulation of several of these antigens are described. The possible uses of this immunological method to detect unique determinants on other kinds of cells and the likely immune mechanisms that make it successful are discussed.

Identification and analysis of the regulation of a prestalk cell-surface antigen of Dictyostelium discoideum.

The properties of two differentiation antigens, rsa 4.2 and rsa 3.1, were examined. Both appear on the cell surface early in differentiation, but they differ with respect to their cell-type specificity. rsa 4.2 appears 1-2 h after differentiation has begun and is present on all cells during all stages of differentiation. In contrast, rsa 3.1 appears after 1-2 h on all aggregating amebae and later becomes restricted to prestalk cells. The pattern of regulation of rsa 3.1 indicates that this prestalk antigen appears on all cells early in differentiation but disappears in cells that differentiate along the prespore pathway. As a result, only cells in the anterior of migrating slugs carry this antigen. Predictions of two competing models of Dictyostelium pattern formation, i.e., position-dependent differentiation and random, position-independent differentiation, were tested by flow cytometry and immunochemical staining of sections of cells at the mound and mound-with-tip stages. Our results do not rule out either model, although they are incompatible with the simplest interpretation of the model for position-independent differentiation. The results clearly indicate that cells that ultimately differentiate along the spore pathway pass through an earlier cell state that includes the presence of a prestalk cell-surface antigen identified as rsa 3.1.

Altered cyclic-AMP receptor activity and morphogenesis in a chemosensory mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum.

The functional properties of the cell-surface cyclic-AMP receptor that controls chemotaxis were found to be altered in an aggregation mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum. The mutant aggregated without stream formation and had a tenfold increased cell-density requirement for the initiation of aggregation. After aggregation, mounds formed multiple tips and subsequently subdivided to give multiple fruits that were small and abnormally proportioned. Cyclic-AMP-induced light-scattering changes in cell suspensions indicated that the mutant had a diminished response to external cyclic-AMP signals. Associated with these altered functional responses was a physical change in the cyclic-AMP sensory system. Cyclic-AMP-binding studies showed that the parent had two classes of cyclic-AMP binding sites, i.e., Kd = 32 and 110 nM. In contrast, the mutant had two- to threefold or more high-affinity sites (Kd = 25 nM) and altered low-affinity sites (Kd less than 3 microM). These results indicate that both affinity classes of binding site are independently mutable. This observation suggests that the two affinity classes can be interconverted by mutation, or the mutation alters a single molecular species and its equilibrium between binding sites with different affinities for cyclic AMP, as postulated in receptor cycling models.

Genes selectively expressed in proliferating Dictyostelium amoebae.

Few eukaryotic genes are expressed only during cell growth and division. We found that the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is unusual in that it expresses many genes only during proliferation. Thirty-two percent (304/950) of the sequences in a cDNA library made from vegetative mRNA were homologous to RNAs that are present at high levels during growth but at low or undetectable levels during differentiation when no cell growth occurs. In vitro translation assays confirmed that one-third of the vegetative cell mRNAs decreased in steady-state levels during differentiation. These vegetative cell-specific transcripts identified a diverse coordinately regulated class of genes: (i) 9 of the 10 cDNAs tested hybridized to unique small transcripts ranging from 400 to 620 bases long; (ii) the sequences showed various degrees of homology to related species; (iii) transcript levels synchronously fell by a factor of greater than 20 during development and synchronously increased during germination. This class of genes may play important roles in normal cell proliferation.

Efficient transformation of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae.

We have transformed Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae by using derivatives of a plasmid, pAG60, which was designed for transformation of mammalian cells. The plasmid carries the promoter region of the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene linked to the bacterial gene kan, which codes for the enzyme aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase. kan is derived from the Tn5 transposon. Expression of the phosphotransferase permits direct selection of transformed cells by their resistance to the antibiotic G-418. pAG60 is incapable of transforming D. discoideum but is made transformation proficient by cloning D. discoideum sequences into the tetracycline resistance gene. The majority of transformed cells grow and develop normally and differentiate to give G-418-resistant spores. These transformants are unstable and rapidly lose their G-418-resistance during growth in the absence of antibiotic selection. Southern blots show that these unstable G-418-resistant transformants carry the pBR322 and kan sequences of pAG60. The pAG60-D. discoideum recombinant plasmids used for transformation were constructed in a way that might make them mutagenic. We have isolated several developmental mutants after transformation of D. discoideum with libraries of pAG60-D. discoideum recombinant plasmids. These mutants are G-418 resistant and carry pAG60 in their nuclear DNA. We recovered a pAG60-D. discoideum recombinant plasmid from several developmental mutants. This plasmid transforms D. discoideum at an elevated frequency and integrates into the nuclear genome. We speculate that integration can result in insertional inactivation of genes that are essential for differentiation but not for growth. Mutagenic transformation occurred only if the transforming plasmid had homology with D. discoideum nuclear DNA. A mammalian cell transformation vector, pSV2-neo, carried no D. discoideum sequences and was able to transform. However, pSV2-neo transformation was not mutagenic. These results suggest that direct inactivation and recovery of genes that are essential for differentiation of D. discoideum will be possible.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for tight-binding human chromatin antigens reveal structural rearrangements within the nucleus during the cell cycle.

The class of nonhistone chromosomal proteins that remains bound to DNA in chromatin in the presence of 2.5 M NaCl-5 M urea has proven refractile to biochemical analysis. In order to study its role in chromatin organization, we have produced monoclonal antibodies that are specific for the HeLa DNA-protein complex that remains after extraction of chromatin with high salt and urea. The antibody-producing clones were identified with an ELISA assay. Of the six clones selected, five were stabilized by limiting dilution. All clones are IgG producers. None cross-react significantly with native DNA, core histones, or the high-mobility group nonhistone proteins. All antibodies are specific for nuclear or juxtanuclear antigens. Indirect immunofluorescence shows that three antibodies, which are nonidentical, stain three different nuclear networks. Available evidence indicates that two of these networks are the nuclear matrix. A fourth antibody reveals structures reminiscent of chromocenters. A fifth antibody, AhNA-1, binds to interphase HeLa chromatin and specifically decorates metaphase chromosomes. AhNA-1 similarly recognizes rat chromosomes. Each of these monoclonal antibodies also reveals a changing pattern of nuclear staining as cells progress through the cell cycle. Presumably, this reflects the rearrangement of the cognate antigens.

Thermosensitive development and tip regulation in a mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum.

A thermosensitive developmental mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum identifies a gene product that is nonessential for cell multiplication but is continuously required during aggregation and the period when multicellular mounds are formed. After mounds form a tip, which has the properties of an embryonic organizer, this gene product may be nonessential. Surgical removal of the tip from a polarized developing multicellular structure (the slug) leads to emergence of a new tip at the permissive temperature but not at the restrictive temperature. The mutant continues to develop abnormally when mixed with wild-type cells; therefore, a cell-limited rather than an exchangeable factor is altered. Assays show that the mutant has a thermosensitive defect in chemotaxis toward cAMP. The mutation reduces the number of cell surface cAMP receptors expressed at the restrictive temperature without affecting their dissociation constants or their apparent thermostability. The expression of two developmentally regulated enzymes, N-acetylglucosaminidase and cAMP phosphodiesterase, is unaffected by the mutation.