Transcriptional transitions during Dictyostelium spore germination.

ABSTRACT: Many protozoa form spores in response to adversity; therefore, spore germination is a key process in their life cycle. Dictyostelium discoideum sporulates in response to starvation following a developmental program. Germination is characterized by two visible changes, spore swelling and the emergence of amoeba from the spore capsule. Several studies have indicated that an additional process termed spore activation is also required, but the physiological changes that characterize the three phases are largely uncharacterized. We used microarrays to monitor global transcriptional transitions as a surrogate measure of the physiological changes that occur during germination. Using two independent methods to induce germination, we identified changes in mRNA levels that characterized the germinat

SUBMITTER: Xu Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC522591 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature