Coordinate regulation of the spore coat genes in Dictyostelium discoideum

Genomic clones of the genes coding for the three major spore coat proteins, SP60, SP70, and SP96, were used to measure the accumulation of their respective mRNAs in mutant and wild-type cells allowed to develop under a variety of conditions. These prespore-specific mRNAs were found to be both temporally and quantitatively coordinate under all conditions indicating that they may be subject to identical regulatory processes. Accumulation of the spore coat mRNAs is dependent upon the function of both cAMP receptors and G alpha 2 proteins during the aggregation stage as well as upon concomitant protein synthesis. When cells are dissociated from aggregates at 10 hr of development and rapidly shaken in 0.1 mM EDTA they form clumps but do not accumulate any of the prespore-specific RNAs assayed. However, if either 0.1 mM Ca++ or 20 microM cAMP is added to these cells, the spore coat mRNAs accumulate. Lower concentrations of either Ca++ or cAMP had no effect. These results suggest that expression of the spore coat genes normally involves a Ca+(+)-dependent process, but the Ca++ requirement can be overcome by adding high concentrations of exogenous cAMP. Addition of 50 nM DIF to dissociated cell blocks the accumulation of the spore coat mRNAs even when cAMP or Ca++ is present. The upstream regions of the spore coat genes were compared to those of another gene, D19, that codes for the prespore-specific protein SP29. Short sequences related to CACCCAC were found at about the same position relative to the transcriptional start sites of these coordinately regulated genes.