CSM News
Electronic Edition
Volume 1, number 23
November 27, 1993

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===========
ABSTRACTS
===========

Intracellular free calcium level and its response to cAMP stimulation
in developing Dictyostelium cells transformed with jellyfish
apoaequorin cDNA

Shweta Saran(1), Hajime Nakao(1), Masao Tasaka(1), Hidetoshi Iida(1),
Frederick I Tsuji(2), Vidyanand Nanjundiah(3) and Ikuo Takeuchi(1)

1. National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji,
Okazaki 444, Japan, 2. Osaka Bioscience Institute, 6-2-4 Furuedai,
Suita, Osaka 565, Japan, 3. Developmental Biology and Genetics, Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

FEBS Letters, in press

Abstract

     A new method is described for measuring intracellular free
calcium concentration, [(Ca2+)i], in the cells of Dictyostelium
discoideum transformed with apoaequorin cDNA of jellyfish Aequorea
victoria.  Aequorin, a calcium specific indicator, was regenerated in
vivo from apoaequorin produced in the cells by incubation with
coelenterazine.  The results showed that [(Ca2+)i] in developing cells
markedly increases at the aggregation stage and again at the
culmination stage after a temporary drop at the migration stage.
Except for the vegetative stage, the cells at all the stages of
development exhibit a sharp transient increase in [(Ca2+)i] upon
stimulation with a cAMP (50 nM) pulse, high responses being observed
at the migration and culmination stages.  Separated prestalk cells of
migrating slugs contain more than twice as much [(Ca2+)i] and show
three times as big response to cAMP stimulation as prespore cells.

===================
Positions Available
===================

Positions for PhD students available
(BAT2A/2 funded by the DFG for approx. 2 years, renewable)

Projects:
1. Antisense Mechanisms
(see TIBS 18, 419-423, 1993)
Applicants should have interest in working with Dictyostelium and/or 
plants. Some experience with protein biochemistry and molecular biology 
would be advantageous.

2. Signal Transduction
(see Vauti et al., MCB 10, 4080-4088, 1990; Blusch et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 
20, 6235-6238, additional preprints available)
Applicants should have interest (and possibly some experience) in the 
molecular biology of Dictyostelium and in generating and analyzing REMI 
mutants (see Kuspa and Loomis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 89, 8803-8807).

contact:
wolfgang nellen
MPI Biochem.
82152 Martinsried
Tel. ++49 (89) 8578 2329
FAX  ++49 (89) 8578 3777
nellen@dicty.biochem.mpg.de

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