Developmentally regulated glycoprotein alterations in Dictyostelium discoideum

We have studied the changes in glycoprotein patterns on the surface of Dictyostelium discoideum cells during development on a membrane filter and in suspension culture. Cell-surface carbohydrates were detected by a periodate-[3H]borohydride method. The appearance and the increase of some glycoproteins during the early developmental stage on a membrane filter were induced 6 h after the onset of starvation. In suspension culture the same proteins appeared about 2 h earlier and less copies per cell were made. Some glycoproteins present in growth-phase cells, especially with high molecular weights, partially disappear during development on a membrane filter. However, the latter changes were not observed in suspension culture. Pulses of cAMP, which generally accelerate cell development, induced only the appearance of one glycoprotein. We conclude that the changes in patterns of plasma membrane glycoproteins during early development are regulated by several factors; starvation, pulses of cAMP, cell-cell contact and transfer onto a membrane filter.