Chemotaxis towards pteridines during development of Dictyostelium

Following a previous study indicating a sensitivity to folate during the developmental phase of Dictyostelium discoideum, a series of pteridines were investigated for their ability to induce amoebal chemotaxis during development of this organism. Several compounds were found to resemble folate in their ability to induce chemotaxis of both vegetative amoebae and amoebae developing during the first few hours of starvation. One compound, L-monapterin, was distinct in showing chemotactic activity only during the developmental phase after approximately 12 h of starvation. Tests using the polymerization of cytoskeletal actin as an assay for a cellular response correlated with chemotaxis showed that 10 nM-L-monapterin was a potent inducer of this response and that responsiveness appeared only after 12 h of development. The timing of these events may be correlated with the formation of tips containing stalk cells that occurs in multicellular aggregates at approximately 12 h, and suggests a role for L-monapterin (or a naturally occurring, closely related pteridine) in cell sorting. The evolutionary significance of the roles of pteridines is discussed.