CELL ADHESION DURING THE MIGRATORY SLUG STAGE OF DICTYOSTELIUM DISCOIDEUM

Prespore-specific Antigen (PsA) is selectively expressed on the surface of prespore cells at the multicellular migratory slug stage of Dictyostelium discoideum development. It is a developmentally regulated glycoprotein that is anchored to the cell membrane through a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. We present the results of an in vitro immunological investigation of the hypothesis that PsA functions as a cell adhesion molecule (CAM), and of a ligand-binding assay indicating that PsA has cell membrane binding partner(s). This is the first evidence to implicate a direct role for a putative CAM in cell–cell adhesion during the multicellular migratory slug stage of D. discoideum development. Cell–cell adhesion assays were carried out in the presence or absence of the monoclonal antibody (mAb) MUD1 that has a single antigenic determinant: a peptide epitope on PsA. These assays showed specific inhibition of cell–cell adhesion by MUD1. Further, it was found that a purified recombinant form of PsA (rPsA), can neutralize the inhibitory effect of MUD1; the inhibitory effect on cell–cell adhesion is primarily due to the blocking of PsA by the mAb. The resistance of aggregates to dissociation in the presence of 10 mM EDTA (ethylenediamintetraacetic acid) indicates that PsA mediates EDTA-stable cell–cell contacts, and that PsA-mediated cell adhesion is likely to be independent of divalent cations such as Ca 2+ or Mg 2+.