DGAP1, a homologue of rasGTPase activating proteins that controls growth, cytokinesis, and development in <i>Dictyostelium discoideum</i>

Abstract

A protein accumulated in the cortical region of Dictyostelium discoideum cells proved to be a homologue of GTPase activating proteins that are responsible for the inactivation of ras in yeast and man. Elimination of this protein, DGAP1, by gene replacement resulted in an increased rate of growth of D. discoideum cells on bacterial lawns, and in the formation of aberrant, multi-tipped fruiting bodies. Overexpression of DGAP1 caused the cells to become multi-nucleated since chromosome segregation during mitosis was not reliably followed by cleavage of the cells. These results suggest that in D. discoideum, ras or a related small GTP-binding protein is involved in regulating growth based on the phagocytosis of bacteria, and in coupling activities of the cell cortex to the organization of spindle and asters in mitotic cells.