Developmental regulation of Dictyostelium discoideum actin gene fusions carried on low-copy and high-copy transformation vectors.

The Dictyostelium discoideum genome contains an estimated 17 to 20 actin genes. We report the identification of a new member of this multigene family, actin 15, and its complete nucleotide sequence and transcription initiation sites. We constructed transformation vectors carrying either the actin 15 promoter fused to the neomycin phosphotransferase gene from transposon Tn903 or the actin 6 promoter fused to the neomycin phosphotransferase gene from Tn5. Cells transformed with the actin 15 vector carried less than five copies of vector DNA, while cells transformed with the actin 6 vector carried more than 200 copies. In both cases, the vector appeared to be integrated into the chromosome as a tandem array. Gene fusion RNAs transcribed from the actin 15 and actin 6 vectors were regulated like endogenous actin genes during D. discoideum development. DNA sequences required for temporal and cell type-specific regulation of these genes were contained within 2.8 kilobases of 5' noncoding DNA for actin 15 and 0.7 kilobases of 5' noncoding DNA for actin 6.