Evidence for tip control of the 'slug/fruit' switch in slugs of Dictyostelium discoideum.

Reciprocal transplants were performed between slugs of two strains of Dictyostelium discoideum. Slugs of one strain (NP84 'slugger') showed prolonged migration, while slugs of the other strain (AX3 'fruiter') migrated for a short period only. The transplant experiments showed that the 'slug/fruit' characteristic is tip dependent, since an NP84 tip induced an AX3 rear to migrate for a prolonged period, while an AX3 tip induced the rear of a NP84 slug to fruit without migration. These findings are not consistent with the hypothesis that tips of all stages release only one signal which is interpreted differently by the rest of the cells in the aggregate at different stages. Rather, we propose that the tip of a D. discoideum aggregate may release a number of signals, one of which is stage dependent, and triggers the 'slug/fruit' switch.