2004 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 76-78
In the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, Countin2 and Countin3 proteins are thought to limit the minimum size of the multicellular structure since countin2- and countin3- strains form small fruiting bodies. Expression levels of the cell-cell adhesion proteins, gp24 and gp80, in wild type and null mutants were compared. During the process of aggregation, countin2- cells expressed lower levels of gp24 and gp80 than those expressed by the wild type. The expression levels of gp24 and gp80 in countin3- cells were almost the same as those in wild-type cells in the early stages of aggregation but were lower than wild-type levels in the late stages. These results indicate that Countin2 and Countin3 proteins enhance the expression of gp24 and gp80 in D. discoideum in different ways.