MAPK docking motif in the Dictyostelium Gα2 subunit is required for aggregation and transcription factor translocation.

Some G protein alpha subunits contain a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) docking motif (D-motif) near the amino terminus that can impact cellular responses to external signals. The Dictyostelium Gα2 G protein subunit is required for chemotaxis to cAMP during the onset of multicellular development and this subunit contains a putative D-motif near the amino terminus. The Gα2 subunit D-motif was altered to examine its potential role in chemotaxis and multicellular development. In gα2- cells the expression of the D-motif mutant (Gα2D-) or wild-type subunit from high copy number vectors rescued cell aggregation but blocked the transition of mounds into slugs. This phenotype was also observed in parental strains with a wild-type gα2 locus indicating that the heterologous Gα2 subunit expression interferes with multicellular morphogenesis. Expression of the Gα2D- subunit from a low copy number vectors in gα2- cells did not rescue aggregation whereas the wild-type Gα2 subunit rescued aggregation efficiently and allowed wild-type morphological development. The Gα2D- and Gα2 subunit were both capable of restoring comparable levels of cAMP stimulated motility and the ability to co-aggregate with wild-type cells implying that the aggregation defect of Gα2D- expressing cells is due to insufficient intercellular signaling. Expression of the Gα2 subunit but not the Gα2D- subunit fully restored the ability of cAMP to stimulate the translocation of the GtaC transcription factor suggesting the D-motif is important for transcription factor regulation. These results suggest that the D-motif of Gα2 plays a role in aggregation and other developmental responses involved with cAMP signaling.