Role of Copine A in phototaxis and thermotaxis in ..., 2008

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Title
Role of Copine A in phototaxis and thermotaxis in developing slugs of Dictyostelium discoideum
Date
2008
Material Type
Undergraduate Research
Creator/Author
Lepley, Kerry
Copyright
Copyright by Kerry Lepley. This material is copyrighted, and any further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without the permission of the copyright owner.
Peer-reviewed
Non peer-reviewed
Subject
Copine; Thermotaxis; Phototaxis; Dictyostelium discoideum - Development; Membrane proteins; Myxomycetes; Temperature sense;
Description
Copines are a group of calcium-dependent membrane binding proteins found in many organisms, including humans. We elucidated the function of these proteins by studying their role in the development of Dictyostelium discoideum, a single-celled eukaryotic model organism. We focused on one of six copine genes, copine A (cpnA). When under starvation conditions, Dictyostelium cells aggregate into mounds that become migrating slugs, which move toward optimal areas of light and heat. To study the role of cpnA in development, we compared the slug behavior of cells lacking the cpnA gene (cpnA- cells) to the slug behavior of wildtype cells. We found that cpnA- slugs were much larger than wildtype slugs and that cpnA- slugs exhibited no phototaxis and negative thermotaxis, while wildtype cells exhibited positive phototaxis and thermotaxis. Mixing a small percentage of wildtype cells with cpnA- cells rescued slug size, thermotaxis, and phototaxis defects. Expression of GFP tagged CpnA in cpnA- cells under the Actin 15 or CpnA promoter did not rescue these defects. Our results indicate that CpnA has a role in intercellular signaling important in regulating the size, motility, phototaxis, and thermotaxis of slugs in developing Dictyostelium. McNair Scholar project. Faculty Advisor: Cynthia Damer
Language
English
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