Spatial and temporal expression of the Dictyostelium discoideum G alpha protein subunit G alpha 2: expression of a dominant negative protein inhibits proper prestalk to stalk differentiation.

Previous results have shown that the G alpha protein subunit G alpha 2 is required for aggregation in Dictyostelium discoideum and is essential for coupling cell-surface cAMP receptors to downstream effectors in vivo during this stage of development. G alpha 2 expresses at least four distinct transcripts that are differentially regulated during development; two of the transcripts are expressed exclusively in the multicellular stages and their expression is restricted to prestalk cells. We partially dissected the G alpha 2 promoter and identified a component that is expressed exclusively during the multicellular stages using luciferase gene fusions. When this promoter region is coupled to lacZ, beta-gal expression is restricted to the multicellular stages and localized in prestalk cells with a pattern similar to that of the ecmA prestalk-specific promoter. We show that expression in wild-type cells of the G alpha 2 mutant protein [G alpha 2(G206T)] during the early stages of development blocks aggregation and cAMP-mediated activation of adenylyl cyclase and guanylyl cyclase, suggesting it functions as a dominant negatively active G alpha subunit. When this mutant G alpha protein is expressed from the ecmA prestalk-specific promoter, abnormal stalk differentiation during culmination is observed. Expression of the mutant G alpha 2 from the SP60 prespore promoter or wild-type G alpha 2 from either the ecmA or the SP60 promoter results in no detectable phenotype. The results suggest that G alpha 2 plays an essential role during the culmination stage in prestalk cells and may mediate cAMP receptor activation of these processes during multicellular development.