Molecular mechanisms of cell-cell interaction in Dictyostelium discoideum

During development of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, cells migrate in response to cAMP to form aggregates, which give rise to fruiting bodies consisting of two major cell types: spores and stalk cells. Multicellularity is achieved by the expression of two types of cell-cell adhesion sites. The EDTA-sensitive binding sites are expressed at the initial stage of development. At the aggregation stage, cells acquire EDTA-resistant binding sites, which are mediated by a cell-surface glycoprotein of Mr80,000 (gp80). gp80 is preferentially associated with cell surface filopodia, which are probably involved in the initiation of contact formation between cells. Covaspheres conjugated with gp80 bind specifically to aggregation-stage cells. The binding can be inhibited by precoating cells with an anti-gp80 monoclonal antibody, thus suggesting that gp80 mediates cell-cell binding via homophilic interaction. The structure of gp80 predicted from its cDNA sequence can be divided into three major domains: a membrane anchor, a hinge, and a globular region. An analysis of fusion proteins containing different gp80 segments shows that the cell-binding activity resides in the globular region. In the postaggregation stages, gp80 is replaced by other surface glycoproteins in maintaining cell-cell adhesion. One of them has a Mr of 150,000 (gp150). Anti-gp150 antibodies have no effect on aggregation-stage cells, but they disrupt cell-cell adhesion at subsequent stages. It becomes evident that the complex phenomena of cell adhesion and tissue organization involve the participation of a number of surface glycoproteins.