Inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in Dictyostelium prestalk cells impairs slug migration and phototaxis.

Dictyostelium slugs expressing a dominant inhibitor of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) selectively in prestalk cells are insensitive to the environmental signals that normally induce culmination (Harwood et al., 1992a). When such slugs do, eventually, attempt to culminate they are unable to activate stalk-specific gene expression and they become arrested in their development. We show here that they are also about half the size of normal slugs and that they move at about half normal speed, even after their size difference has been taken into account. They are also less accurate in orienting their direction of movement towards the light. Thus, in addition to its role in cellular differentiation, PKA is required for several important aspects of slug behaviour.