V4, a gene required for the transition from growth to development in Dictyostelium discoideum.

The V4 gene of Dictyostelium discoideum is regulated in a nutrient-dependent manner and is deactivated immediately upon the onset of development. V4 is expressed only during growth, but its expression is not required for growth. We propose that the V4 gene product plays a role in the transition from growth to development. We have tested this hypothesis by antisense mutagenesis. Cells transformed with a V4 antisense construct contained no detectable endogenous V4 mRNA. These cells grew normally, but they failed to aggregate. Under conditions which normally promote development, V4 antisense transformants failed to deactivate vegetative-specific genes. These cells also were unable to induce the expression of the cAMP cell surface receptor, the cyclic nucleic phosphodiesterase, and contact sites A, all of which are normally induced under such conditions. Surprisingly, cells transformed with a V4 sense construct displayed a similar morphological and biochemical phenotype as the antisense cells, whereas cells transformed with the parental vector exhibited a normal biochemical and morphological phenotype. These results demonstrate that expression of the V4 gene during growth is required for the proper initiation of development.