Induction of stalk cell differentiation by cyclic AMP in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum.

Cyclic AMP, which is a cell attractant (acrasin) for Dictyostelium discoideum, will cause isolated, unaggregated cells to turn directly into stalk cells containing thick celluloselike walls and large vacuoles. From previous work we know that in the cell mass, acrasin is produced solely in the region of stalk formation during fruiting, that stalk formation involves a high level of catabolism, and that cyclic AMP stimulates catabolic enzymes in other systems. These facts obviously suggest that in the development of D. discoideum, cyclic AMP might be a key factor in stalk cell differentiation.