Challenge with high concentrations of cyclic AMP induces transient changes in the cytosolic free calcium concentration in Dictyostelium discoideum

1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (8) ◽  
pp. 2107-2115 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Schlatterer ◽  
F. Gollnick ◽  
E. Schmidt ◽  
R. Meyer ◽  
G. Knoll

Dictyostelium discoideum cells use cyclic AMP (cAMP) for chemotactic signaling as well as for differentiation. The precise regulation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) seems to play a key role for both processes. We performed single cell measurements of [Ca2+]i in amoebae that were starved in suspension for various times and scrape-loaded with the Ca2+ indicator fura-2. Stimulation of cells with cAMP at the concentration required to induce gene expression (> or = 100 microM) elicited a global transient increase in [Ca2+]i that depended on the presence of external Ca2+. Both vegetative and aggregation-competent cells displayed a rise in [Ca2+]i, with aggregation-competent cells responding more often than vegetative cells. Basal [Ca2+]i in the presence of Ca2+ was high in vegetative cells and declined during development; the cAMP-induced rise in [Ca2+]i was higher and lasted longer in vegetative cells than in aggregative cells. The addition of 2′-deoxy-cAMP, which binds to the cAMP receptor, induced an increase in [Ca2+]i, whereas the membrane-permeant analogue 8-bromo-cAMP that has a low affinity for the receptor but activates cAMP-dependent protein kinase had no effect. This indicates that the change in [Ca2+]i is mediated by the cell surface cAMP receptor. Since HC85 mutant cells, which lack the G alpha 2 subunit of the G-protein that couples the receptor to phospholipase C, also responded to stimulation with cAMP, the Ca2+ influx does not seem to be triggered by the phosphoinositide signaling cascade.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1984 ◽  
Vol 259 (1) ◽  
pp. 654-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
I H Majerfeld ◽  
B H Leichtling ◽  
J A Meligeni ◽  
E Spitz ◽  
H V Rickenberg

1987 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy C. Chambers ◽  
Joan Song-Nichols ◽  
David S. Campbell ◽  
Eva Spitz ◽  
Ben H. Leichtling ◽  
...  

1976 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
P M Ueland ◽  
S O Døskeland

Conditions influencing the cyclic AMP-dependence of protein kinase (ATP-protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) during the phosphorylation of histone were studied. Protein kinase from mouse liver cytosol and the two isoenzymes [PK (protein kinase) I and PK II] isolated from the cytosol by DEAE-cellulose chromatography were tested. A relation between concentration of enzyme and cyclic AMP-dependence was observed for both isoenzymes. Moderate dilution of isoenzyme PK II decreased the stimulation of the enzyme by cyclic AMP. Isoenzyme PK I could be diluted 200 times more than isoenzyme PK II before the same decrease in cyclic AMP-dependence appeared. Long-term incubation with high concentrations of histone increased the activity in the absence of cyclic AMP relative to the activity in the presence of the nucleotide. This was more pronounced for isoenzyme PK II than for isoenzyme PK I. The cyclic AMP concentration needed to give half-maximal binding of the nucleotide was the same as the cyclic AMP concentration (Ka) at which the protein kinase had 50% of its maximal activity. The close correlation between binding and activation is also found in the presence of KCl, which increased the apparent activation constant (Ka) for cyclic AMP. With increasing [KCl], a progressively higher proportion of the histone phosphorylation observed in cytosol was due to cyclic AMP-independent (casein) kinases, leading to an overestimation of the degree of activation of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases present. The relative contributions of cyclic AMP-dependent and -independent kinases to histone phosphorylation at different ionic strengths was determined by use of heat-stable inhibitor and phospho-cellulose chromatography.


1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (1) ◽  
pp. C147-C155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Tsunoda ◽  
E. L. Stuenkel ◽  
J. A. Williams

Cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ((Ca2+]i) was evaluated by dual-wavelength microspectrofluorometry of fura-2-loaded individual rat pancreatic acinar cells. Resting [Ca2+]i in unstimulated acini was 94.1 +/- 4.1 nM. Stimulation with high concentrations of cholecystokinin (CCK, 100 pM to 1 nM) led to an immediate rise in [Ca2+]i to 400-1,000 nM followed by a fall within 2-5 min to a plateau only slightly above the prestimulation level. Lower and more physiological concentrations of CCK (1-30 pM), after a latent period of 60-90 s, induced a smaller sustained increase in [Ca2+]i (30-40 nM) with superimposed repetitive transient [Ca2+]i spikes. These oscillations averaged 120-150 nM in amplitude, occurred at a frequency which averaged 1.5 times/min, and were maintained as long as the stimulus was applied. Similar [Ca2+]i oscillations were observed when acini were stimulated with submaximal concentrations of carbamylcholine (0.1-1 microM) and neuromedin C (0.1-1 nM). Intracellular Ca2+ stores were not depleted during [Ca2+] oscillations, since a subsequent increase to 1 nM CCK led to an immediate rise in [Ca2+]i indistinguishable from the response of cells initially stimulated at this concentration. Although extracellular Ca2+ was required for maintenance of frequency of the spikes, the major source of Ca2+ utilized for oscillations was intracellular, since elimination of medium Ca2+ or Ca2+ entry blockade with lanthanum failed to inhibit oscillations. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (10 nM) and high K+ (50 mM) did not affect [Ca2+]i oscillations. Antimycin (10 microM), which depletes cytoplasmic ATP, increased basal [Ca2+]i and inhibited the oscillations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 3297-3306 ◽  
Author(s):  
P C Ma ◽  
C H Siu

The EDTA-resistant cell-cell adhesion expressed at the aggregation stage of Dictyostelium discoideum is mediated by a cell surface glycoprotein of Mr 80,000 (gp80). The expression of gp80 is developmentally regulated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). In vitro nuclear run-on experiments show that transcription of the gp80 gene is initiated soon after the onset of development. The basal level of gp80 transcription is significantly augmented by exogenous cAMP pulses. Interestingly, in analog studies, 2'-deoxy-cAMP, 8-bromo-cAMP, and N6-monobutyryl-cAMP are all capable of inducing a rapid accumulation of gp80 mRNA, suggesting the presence of a unique cAMP receptor that responds equally well to these analogs. To determine whether intracellular cAMP plays a role in the regulation of gp80 expression, caffeine was used to block cAMP-induced receptor-mediated adenylate cyclase activation. Expression of gp80 mRNA was blocked in caffeine-treated cells but could be substantially restored by treatment with exogenous cAMP pulses, suggesting that adenylate cyclase activation is not required. gp80 expression was also examined in the signal transduction mutants synag 7 and frigid A. In both mutants, gp80 was expressed at the basal level. Pulses of cAMP as well as 2'-deoxy-cAMP and N6-monobutyryl-cAMP were capable of restoring the normal level of gp80 expression in synag 7 cells. These results, taken together, indicate bimodal regulation of gp80 expression during development and the involvement of a novel cAMP receptor in the transmembrane signalling pathway that regulates gp80 gene expression.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 458-469
Author(s):  
S K Mann ◽  
R A Firtel

We examined two sets of genes expressed early in the developmental cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum that appear to be regulated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). The transcripts of both sets of genes were not detectable in vegetative cells. During normal development on filter pads, RNA complementary to these genes could be detected at about 2 h, peaked around 6 to 8 h, and decreased gradually thereafter. Expression of these genes upon starvation in shaking culture was stimulated by pulsing the cells with nanomolar levels of cAMP, a condition that mimics the in vivo pulsing during normal aggregation. Expression was inhibited by caffeine or by continuous levels of cAMP, a condition found later in development when in vivo expression of these genes decreased. The inhibition of caffeine could be overcome by pulsing cells with cAMP. These results suggest that the expression is mediated via the cell surface cAMP receptor, but does not require a rise in intracellular cAMP. mRNA from a gene of the second class was induced upon starvation, peaked by 2.5 h of development, and then declined. In contrast to the other genes, its expression was maintained by continuous levels of cAMP and repressed by cAMP pulses. These and other results on a number of classes of developmentally regulated genes indicates that changing levels of cAMP, acting via the cell surface cAMP receptor, are involved in controlling these groups of genes. We also examined the structure and partial sequence of the cAMP pulse-induced genes. The two tandemly duplicated M3 genes were almost continuously homologous over the sequenced portion of the protein-coding region except for a region near the N-terminal end. The two M3 genes had regions of homology in the 5' flanking sequence and showed slight homology to the same regions in gene D2, another cAMP pulse-induced gene. D2 showed extremely significant homology over its entire sequenced length to an acetylcholinesterase. The results presented here and by others suggest that expression of many early genes in D. discoideum is regulated via the cell surface cAMP receptor. We expect that many of these genes may play essential roles in early Dictyostelium development and could code for elements of the cAMP signal transduction pathway involved in aggregation.


1977 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
B. Wurster ◽  
K. Schubiger

Folic acid is known to be a chemoattractant of pre-aggregation cells of Dictyostelium discoideum. When supplied in pulses, folic acid induces biochemical oscillations and stimulates the development of pre-aggregation to aggregation-competent amoebae. The continuous supply of folic acid has no stimulatory effect. Folic-acid-induced oscillations are accompanied by periodic changes in the cyclic AMP concentration. Pulses of folic acid applied with rhythms between 7 and 11 min efficiently induce oscillations. In contrast, a rhythm of 2 min neither induces oscillations nor suppresses them. Cells start to oscillate with a rhythm of about 8 min. This inherent rhythm is independent of the inducing rhythm. Oscillating cells are less sensitive to folic acid than pre-oscillating ones. They respond only to high concentrations of folic acid which also interact with the oscillating system.


Biochemistry ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 23 (20) ◽  
pp. 4611-4617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L. Rutherford ◽  
Roxanne L. Vaughan ◽  
Michel J. Cloutier ◽  
Douglas K. Ferris ◽  
Debra A. Brickey

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