Correlation between acrasins and spore germination inhibitors in cellular slime molds

Discadenine,3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl)-N6-delta 2-isopentenyladenine, which inhibits spore germination, was previously found in Dictyostelium discoideum. Studies on the distribution of discadenine in different species of cellular slime molds by high-pressure liquid chromatography showed that discadenine is present in D. discoideum, Dictyostelium purpureum, and Dictyostelium mucoroides, but not in Dictyostelium minutum, Polysphondylium violaceum, or Polysphondylium pallidum. Discadenine synthetase, which is involved in biosynthesis of discadenine with N6-delta 2-isopentenyladenine as substrate, was only detected in cells of the former three species. In addition, discadenine inhibited spore germination only in these three species. These results clearly demonstrate that discadenine is produced as an inhibitor of spore germination in the species of cellular slime molds in which the acrasin is cyclic adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP). This means that there is a structural and biochemical correlation between the spore germination inhibitor and the acrasin, since 5'-AMP, a direct precursor in discadenine biosynthesis, can be derived from cyclic AMP by hydrolysis with cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase.