Motility mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum

Entamoeba shows reversible variation in ploidy under different growth conditions and between life cycle phases

Under axenic growth conditions, trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica contain heterogenous amounts of DNA due to the presence of both multiple nuclei and different amounts of DNA in individual nuclei. In order to establish if the DNA content and the observed heterogeneity is maintained during different growth conditions, we have compared E. histolytica cells growing in xenic and axenic cultures. Our results show that the nuclear DNA content of E. histolytica trophozoites growing in axenic cultures is at least 10 fold higher than in xenic cultures. Re-association of axenic cultures with their bacterial flora led to a reduction of DNA content to the original xenic values. Thus switching between xenic and axenic growth conditions was accompanied by significant changes in the nuclear DNA content of this parasite. Changes in DNA content during encystation-excystation were studied in the related reptilian parasite E. invadens. During excystation of E. invadens cysts, it was observed that the nuclear DNA content increased approximately 40 fold following emergence of trophozoites in axenic cultures. Based on the observed large changes in nuclear size and DNA content, and the minor differences in relative abundance of representative protein coding sequences, rDNA and tRNA sequences, it appears that gain or loss of whole genome copies may be occurring during changes in the growth conditions. Our studies demonstrate the inherent plasticity and dynamic nature of the Entamoeba genome in at least two species.

In contrast to the perception that DNA content of an organism is stable and maintained during different conditions and life cycle stages, new evidence shows that many organisms display changes in their DNA content at different stages of their life cycle. We have earlier identified intra-cellular and inter-cellular differences in DNA content of the protist pathogen Entamoeba histolytica and established that this organism can tolerate large variations in DNA content during axenic culture. In this study we have made an important advancement in the understanding of amoeba biology where we have shown that changes in growth conditions and life cycle stages are accompanied by large differences in DNA content involving gain or loss of whole genome copies. This property may well regulate the outcome of infection and subsequently the disease.

Phagocytosis and macropinocytosis in Dictyostelium: phosphoinositide-based processes, biochemically distinct

Phagocytosis and macropinocytosis are actin-dependent clathrin-independent processes primarily performed by cells like neutrophils and macrophages that result in the internalization of particles or the formation of fluid-filled macropinosomes, respectively. Phagocytosis consists of a number of stages, including attachment of particles to cell surface receptors, engulfment of the particle dependent on actin polymerization and membrane exocytosis, and formation of phago-lysosomes. In contrast, the molecular steps regulating macropinocytosis are only just now being deciphered. Much remains to be learned concerning the signaling pathways that regulate these processes. Dictyostelium is a genetically and biochemically tractable professional phagocyte that has proven to be a powerful system with which to determine the nature of the molecular steps involved in regulating these internalization processes. This review summarizes what is currently understood concerning the molecular mechanisms governing phagocytosis and macropinocytosis in Dictyostelium and describes recent data concerning the common and distinct pathways that regulate these processes.

Regulation of phagocytosis and endo-phagosomal trafficking pathways in Dictyostelium discoideum

Phagocytosis, a critically important process employed by leukocytes against invading pathogens, is an actin-dependent clathrin-independent process that results in the internalization of particles >0.5 microm in diameter. Phagocytosis consists of a number of stages, including the binding of particles to the cell surface via interaction with a receptor, engulfment of the particle by pseudopod extension, and fission and fusion reactions to form phago-lysosomes. Much remains to be learned concerning the molecular mechanisms that regulate particle internalization and phagosome maturation. Dictyostelium is a genetically tractable professional phagocyte that has proven useful in determining the molecular steps involved in these processes. We will summarize, in this chapter, what we currently understand concerning the molecular mechanisms that regulate the process of phagocytosis in Dictyostelium, and we will compare and contrast this body of information with that available describing phagocytosis in higher organisms. We will also present current information that suggests that macropinocytosis, a process morphologically similar to phagocytosis, utilizes a different signaling pathway than phagocytosis. Finally, we will discuss the process of maturation of phagosomes, which requires membrane trafficking events, and we will summarize data that support the use of Dictyostelium as a model to determine how intracellular pathogens survive.

Dictyostelium discoideum mutants with conditional defects in phagocytosis

We have isolated and characterized Dictyostelium discoideum mutants with conditional defects in phagocytosis. Under suspension conditions, the mutants exhibited dramatic reductions in the uptake of bacteria and polystyrene latex beads. The initial binding of these ligands was unaffected, however, indicating that the defect was not in a plasma membrane receptor: Because of the phagocytosis defect, the mutants were unable to grow when cultured in suspensions of heat-killed bacteria. The mutants exhibited normal capacities for fluid phase endocytosis and grew as rapidly as parental (AX4) cells in axenic medium. Both the defects in phagocytosis and growth on bacteria were corrected when the mutant Dictyostelium cells were cultured on solid substrates. Reversion and genetic complementation analysis suggested that the mutant phenotypes were caused by single gene defects. While the precise site of action of the mutations was not established, the mutations are likely to affect an early signaling event because the binding of bacteria to mutant cells in suspension was unable to trigger the localized polymerization of actin filaments required for ingestion; other aspects of actin function appeared normal. This class of conditional phagocytosis mutant should prove to be useful for the expression cloning of the affected gene(s).

Genetics of early Dictyostelium discoideum development

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motA1552, a mutation of Dictyostelium discoideum having pleiotropic effects on motility and discoidin I regulation

The Dictyostelium discoideum mutant MC2 exhibits temperature-sensitive growth, temperature-sensitive motility, and temperature induction of discoidin I synthesis. These three phenotypes of MC2 were not separated in the genetic experiments reported here. They were therefore assigned to the mutation motA1552, which was mapped to linkage group II by segregation analysis and by analysis of mitotic recombinant diploids. In one motA1552 strain, loss of motility preceded accumulation of discoidin I by 3 hr, indicating that discoidin I is not involved in generation of the motility defect. Expression of motA1552 phenotypes varied both among strains carrying the mutation, and among different clones of a particular strain. MC2 and its derivatives displayed elevated levels of recombination between whiA and acrA on linkage group II, and yielded highly unstable mutations at the acrA locus. Accumulation of large amounts of discoidin I during axenic growth of strain AX3 was found to depend on the presence of a second linkage group II mutation, daxA1551. This mutation was already present in the strain mutagenized to isolate motA1552, complicating explication of motA1552 action.

Identification of the single gene for calmodulin in Dictyostelium discoideum

We report the isolation and sequence determination of a cDNA containing most of the coding sequence for Dictyostelium discoideum calmodulin. The cloned cDNA was used as a probe to examine the complexity of D. discoideum genomic DNA. These studies indicated that D. discoideum cells possess a single calmodulin gene.

The axenic mutations and endocytosis in Dictyostelium

The axenic mutations of Dictyostelium offer a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between phagocytosis and pinocytosis and to examine the mechanism by which a cell shifts from one mode of feeding to the other. The axenic mutations also provide a means of exploring the relationships between endocytosis and other forms of cell motility. This chapter has described the known mutations that affect axenic growth, methods for culturing wild-type and axenic cells and measuring their growth, and methods for monitoring the effects of the axenic mutations on endocytosis and cell movement. The importance has been emphasized of distinguishing effects of the axenic genotype that are expressed constitutively (i.e., during growth on either bacteria or liquid medium) from those that are a function of axenic growth conditions. The methods described in this chapter, applied to wild-type cells and to cells carrying a full complement of the axenic mutations, have shown that the axenic mutations have constitutive effects on cell-substratum interactions, and inducible effects on cell locomotion and pinocytosis.

Identification of the single gene for calmodulin in Dictyostelium discoideum

We report the isolation and sequence determination of a cDNA containing most of the coding sequence for Dictyostelium discoideum calmodulin. The cloned cDNA was used as a probe to examine the complexity of D. discoideum genomic DNA. These studies indicated that D. discoideum cells possess a single calmodulin gene.

Phagocytic behavior of the predatory slime mold, Dictyostelium caveatum. Cell nibbling

The predatory slime mold, D. caveatum, feeds upon other amoebae by phagocytosis. The D. caveatum amoebae begin feeding upon cells the same size or larger by nibbling pieces of cells. While feeding upon other amoebae as opposed to bacteria, they increase in size. This behavior resembles that of phagocytes in higher organisms. A novel method was used to follow the time course of phagocytosis. A lytic toxin, phallolysin, and mutants resistant to the toxin were utilized in an assay to separate the phagocytes from the prey cells. Since a broad spectrum of cells are sensitive to the toxin, the method has general applicability.

Oscillations in cell shape and size during locomotion and in contractile activities of Physarum polycephalum, Dictyostelium discoideum, Amoeba proteus and macrophages

Changes in cell shape and size were measured during locomotion, together with the motive force of the protoplasmic streaming, in various amoeboid cells in different stages of their life cycle, and under various environmental conditions. The variations in these measurements with time were examined by Fourier spectral analysis. Notwithstanding a change in cell type in the life cycle of P. polycephalum, myxamoebae and tiny plasmodia showed a similar time pattern of locomotion, exhibiting oscillations having a mixture of several periods. A regular oscillation with protoplasmic streaming appeared in the plasmodium only above a critical cell size. D. discoideum amoebae oscillated with two periods of a few minutes in preaggregation stage, but with a period of 10 min in aggregation stage, the latter being induced by cAMP. Macrophages and A. proteus also oscillated with periods of a few minutes. Periods of all these oscillations were prolonged severalfold by respiratory inhibition with NaCN, but were unaffected by glycolytic inhibition with 2-deoxyglucose. Cell fragments of A. proteus containing fewer granules oscillated more slowly and with a larger amplitude than those containing more granules. Among the granules, the nucleus was excluded as a possible modifier of the oscillation. The oscillation in Physarum plasmodium was reversibly suppressed by combining respiratory and ATPase inhibitions in mitochondria with NaCN and oligomycin, intracellular ATP concentration being kept at an appropriate level. The present results show that amoeboid motility, as well as cell shape, is oscillatory and that mitochondria are involved in time keeping.

Overproduction of discoidin I by a temperature-sensitive motility mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum

Dictyostelium discoideum MC2 is a temperature-sensitive motility mutant of AX3. Mutant cells are incapable of growth, phagocytosis, and migration under restrictive conditions (Kayman et al., J. Cell Biol. 92:705-711, 1982). We show here that at the restrictive temperature MC2 cells grown axenically or on bacteria synthesized excessive quantities of the lectin discoidin I. By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and peptide mapping, the proteins overproduced by MC2 cells were indistinguishable from discoidin I synthesized at lower levels in AX3 cells. At least two of the three species of discoidin I were overproduced. This protein family constituted 9% of the total protein in cells that were incubated overnight at 27 degrees C in axenic medium. Although MC2 cells are defective in nutrient uptake under restrictive conditions, the overproduction of discoidin I did not appear to be part of a pleiotropic response to starvation. We propose that transcription of the coordinately regulated discoidin I genes is altered in mutant cells. This alteration may be related to the motility defects manifested by MC2.

Overproduction of discoidin I by a temperature-sensitive motility mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum

Dictyostelium discoideum MC2 is a temperature-sensitive motility mutant of AX3. Mutant cells are incapable of growth, phagocytosis, and migration under restrictive conditions (Kayman et al., J. Cell Biol. 92:705-711, 1982). We show here that at the restrictive temperature MC2 cells grown axenically or on bacteria synthesized excessive quantities of the lectin discoidin I. By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and peptide mapping, the proteins overproduced by MC2 cells were indistinguishable from discoidin I synthesized at lower levels in AX3 cells. At least two of the three species of discoidin I were overproduced. This protein family constituted 9% of the total protein in cells that were incubated overnight at 27 degrees C in axenic medium. Although MC2 cells are defective in nutrient uptake under restrictive conditions, the overproduction of discoidin I did not appear to be part of a pleiotropic response to starvation. We propose that transcription of the coordinately regulated discoidin I genes is altered in mutant cells. This alteration may be related to the motility defects manifested by MC2.

Relationship between axenic growth of Dictyostelium discoideum strains and their track morphology on substrates coated with gold particles

Amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum produce tracks with two distinct morphologies on gold-coated coverslips. The wild-type strain and other strains that feed only by phagocytosis produced indistinct, fuzzy tracks, whereas mutants capable of axenic growth produced clear, sharp tracks. The sharp track morphology was found to be a recessive phenotype that segregates with axenicity and probably requires a previously unidentified axenic mutation. Axenic and nonaxenic strains also differed in their ability to pinocytose. When the two types of cells were shifted from bacterial growth plates to nutrient media, within 24 h the axenic strain established a rapid rate of pinocytosis, approximately 100-fold higher than the low rate detectable for the nonaxenic strain. However, track formation did not appear to be directly related to endocytosis. Electron microscopic examination of cells during track formation showed that both axenic and nonaxenic strains accumulated gold particles on their surfaces, but neither strain internalized the gold to any significant degree. Observation of living cells revealed that axenic strains collected all particles that they contacted, whereas wild-type strains left many particles undisturbed. The size of the gold particle clusters discarded by the cells also contributed to track morphology.