Question

Would a Dictyostelium mutant lacking adenylyl cyclase have a cell autonomous or cell non-autonomous defect in aggregation. Why?

Answer 1

Dictyostelium mutant lacking adenylyl cyclase (ACA) has cell autonomous defect in agression. The dictyostelium development starts with the chemotactic aggregation of upto 106 amoebae in response to the propogation of cAMP waves. cAMP which is produced by the stage at which ACA aggregates and ACA null cells cannot aggregate. Mutants which are temperature sensitive of ACA where chosen from a population of aca null cells which is transformed with the library of ACA genes which is a major segment amplified by error prone PCR.