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Related Experiment Videos

A cell-counting factor regulating structure size in Dictyostelium.

D A Brock1, R H Gomer

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology MS-140, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005-1892, USA.

Genes & Development
|August 13, 1999
PubMed
Summary
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Dictyostelium cells use a secreted "counting factor" to regulate fruiting body size. Disrupting the counting gene leads to massive fruiting bodies, revealing its role in cell aggregation control.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Dictyostelium discoideum cells aggregate to form multicellular structures and fruiting bodies.
  • The size of these fruiting bodies is regulated by complex signaling pathways.
  • Previous observations indicated that specific mutations affect the final size of the fruiting bodies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize the factor responsible for regulating the size of Dictyostelium cell aggregates.
  • To understand the molecular mechanism by which this factor controls cell grouping and fruiting body formation.
  • To investigate the role of the 'counting' gene in this process.

Main Methods:

  • Purification of the unknown factor secreted by smlA cells.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Biochemical characterization of the purified factor, including molecular mass determination.
  • Genetic analysis using gene disruption of the identified 'counting' gene.
  • Microscopic observation of cell aggregation and fruiting body development in wild-type and mutant strains.

    • Main Results:

    • A 450 kD polypeptide complex, termed the "counting factor," was purified.
    • A 40 kD hydrophilic protein, named "counting," was identified as a component of this complex.
    • Disruption of the "counting" gene abolished the secretion of the counting factor.
    • Mutant cells formed significantly larger fruiting bodies due to the lack of aggregation stream breakup.

    Conclusions:

    • The "counting" gene product is essential for the secretion of the counting factor.
    • The counting factor plays a critical role in regulating the size of Dictyostelium cell aggregates and subsequent fruiting bodies.
    • This mechanism provides insight into how cell populations coordinate to form structures of specific sizes.