Characterization of the Dictyostelium Homolog of Chromatin Binding Protein DET1 Suggests a Conserved Pathway Regulating Cell Type Specification and Developmental Plasticity

Abstract

ABSTRACT DET1 (De-etiolated 1) is a chromatin binding protein involved in developmental regulation in both plants and animals. DET1 is largely restricted to multicellular eukaryotes, and here we report the characterization of a DET1 homolog from the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum . As in other species, Dictyostelium DET1 is nuclear localized. In contrast to other species, where it is an essential protein, loss of DET1 is nonlethal in Dictyostelium , although viability is significantly reduced. The phenotype of the det1 − mutant is highly pleiotropic and results in a large degree of heterogeneity in developmental parameters. Loss of DET1 results in delayed and abnormal development with enlarged aggregation territories. Mutant slugs displayed cell type patterning with a bias toward the prestalk pathway. A number of DET1-interacting proteins are conserved in Dictyostelium , and the apparently conserved role of DET1 in regulatory pathways involving the bZIP transcription factors DimB, c-Jun, and HY5 suggests a highly conserved mechanism regulating development in multicellular eukaryotes. While the mechanism by which DET1 functions is unclear, it appears that it has a key role in regulation of developmental plasticity and integration of information on environmental conditions into the developmental program of an organism.