Species-specific Cell Surface Changes during the Development in the Cellular Slime Moulds

Abstract

Concanavalin A-mediated cell surface changes during development have been studied in four species of the cellular slime moulds, Dictyostelium discoideum, D. mucoroides, D. purpureum and Polysphondylium violaceum. Strains belonging to the same species showed a similar pattern of changes during the course of development. The pattern was similar for D. discoideum and D. mucoroides. These two species showed a gradual decrease in Con A-mediated cell agglutination as development proceeded. In D. purpureum and P. violaceum, however, the cell agglutinability increased at the beginning of development and then decreased thereafter. The results therefore indicate that cell-surface changes during development are species-specific.