The GATA transcription factor gene gtaG is required for terminal differentiation in Dictyostelium
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT The GATA transcription factor GtaG is conserved in Dictyostelids and is essential for terminal differentiation in Dictyostelium discoideum, but its function is not well understood. Here, we show that gtaG is expressed in prestalk cells at the anterior region of fingers and in the extending stalk during culmination. The gtaG− phenotype is cell-autonomous in prestalk cells and non-cell-autonomous in prespore cells. Transcriptome analyses reveal that GtaG regulates prestalk gene expression during cell differentiation before culmination and is required for progression into culmination. GtaG-dependent genes include genetic suppressors of the Dd-STATa-defective phenotype (Dd-STATa is also known as DstA) as well as Dd-STATa target-genes, including extracellular matrix genes. We show that GtaG might be involved in the production of two culmination-signaling molecules, cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) and the spore differentiation factor SDF-1, and that addition of c-di-GMP rescues the gtaG− culmination and spore formation deficiencies. We propose that GtaG is a regulator of terminal differentiation that functions in concert with Dd-STATa and controls culmination through regulating c-di-GMP and SDF-1 production in prestalk cells.
Source: Journal of Cell Science
DOI: 10.1242/jcs.181545
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Univerza v Ljubljani, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Center for Research Resources, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
OpenAlex ID: W2304409011