Peptide: N- glycanase is expressed in prestalk cells and plays a role in the differentiation of prespore cells during development of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dictyostelium discoideum</i>

Abstract

Peptide: N- glycanase (PNGase) enzyme is found throughout eukaryotes and plays an important role in the misfolded glycoprotein degradation pathway. This communication reports the expression patterns of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">pngase</i> transcript (as studied by the analysis of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">β- galactosidase</i> reporter driven by the putative <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">pngase</i> promoter) and protein (as studied by the analysis of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">β- galactosidase</i> reporter expressed under the putative <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">png</i>ase promoter as a fusion with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">pngase</i> ORF) during development and further elucidated the developmental defects of the cells lacking PNGase (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">png^-</i>). The results show that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dd</i>PNGase is an essential protein expressed throughout development and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">β- galactosidase</i> activity was present in the anterior part of the slug. In structures derived from a null mutant for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">pngase,</i> the prestalk A and AO patterning was expanded and covered a large section of the prespore region of the slugs. When developed as chimeras with wild type, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">png^-</i> cells preferentially populate the prestalk/stalk region. When the mutants were mixed in higher ratios, they also tend to form the prespore/spore cells. The results emphasize that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dd</i>PNGase has an essential role during development and the mutants have defects in a system that changes the physiological dynamics in the prespore cells. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dd</i>PNGase play a role in development both during aggregation and in the differentiation of prespore cells.