Structural and functional studies of a family of Dictyostelium discoideum developmentally regulated, prestalk genes coding for small proteins.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum executes a multicellular development program upon starvation. This morphogenetic process requires the differential regulation of a large number of genes and is coordinated by extracellular signals. The MADS-box transcription factor SrfA is required for several stages of development, including slug migration and spore terminal differentiation.

Results

Subtractive hybridization allowed the isolation of a gene, sigN (SrfA-induced gene N), that was dependent on the transcription factor SrfA for expression at the slug stage of development. Homology searches detected the existence of a large family of sigN-related genes in the Dictyostelium discoideum genome. The 13 most similar genes are grouped in two regions of chromosome 2

SUBMITTER: Vicente JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2257962 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature