Origins of the prestalk-prespore pattern in Dictyostelium development

Using cell-autonomous markers we have traced the origins of prespore cells and two types of prestalk cells (pstA and pstB cells) during slug formation. We show that cell sorting and positional information both contribute to Dictyostelium morphogenesis. The initial pattern established at the mound stage is topologically quite different from that of the slug. Confirming previous studies, we find that prespore cells occupy most of the aggregate but are absent from a thin layer at the base and from the emerging tip. PstB cells are almost entirely localized to the basal region during the early stages of tip formation. Thus prespore and pstB cell differentiation appear to occur in response to localized morphogenetic signals. In the case of pstB cells, these signals presumably emanate from the base and not, as might be expected, from the tip. When first detectable, pstA cells are scattered throughout the aggregate. They then appear to migrate to the apex, where the tip forms.