How Dictyostelium Cells Use AprA to Slow Down Their Growth
Author Information
Author(s): Choe Jonathan M, Bakthavatsalam Deenadayalan, Phillips Jonathan E, Gomer Richard H
Primary Institution: Rice University
Hypothesis
Does AprA bind to cells and slow their proliferation, and is CfaD necessary for this process?
Conclusion
AprA acts as a factor that inhibits cell growth by binding to cell surface receptors, and while it requires CfaD for its activity, it can bind to cells without CfaD.
Supporting Evidence
- AprA concentration increases with cell density.
- Recombinant AprA significantly slows proliferation at concentrations of 0.1 μg/ml and higher.
- Cells lacking CfaD still bind rAprA but do not slow proliferation.
Takeaway
Dictyostelium cells have a special protein called AprA that helps them slow down their growth when there are too many of them. This helps keep their group size just right.
Methodology
The study involved cell culture, recombinant protein expression, and binding assays to measure the effects of AprA on cell proliferation.
Limitations
The study does not identify all factors involved in the proliferation inhibition and does not explore the long-term effects of AprA and CfaD.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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