Developmental regulation of the cyclic-nucleotide-phosphodiesterase mRNA of Dictyostelium discoideum. Analysis by cell-free translation and immunoprecipitation.

Extracellular cyclic-nucleotide phosphodiesterase of Dictyostelium discoideum has previously been purified and characterized [Orlow et al. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 7620-7627]. Antisera have been raised against the purified enzyme. Following cell-free translation of RNA extracted from cells at various stages of development and immunoprecipitation with anti-phosphodiesterase serum, cAMP phosphodiesterase synthesized in vitro and labeled with L-[35S]methionine can be detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography. The cell-free translation product is an Mr-48 000 polypeptide and can be immunoprecipitated with antiserum raised against active Mr-50 000 cAMP phosphodiesterase or antiserum raised against heat-denatured cAMP phosphodiesterase. Purified native cAMP phosphodiesterase blocks immunoprecipitation of the cAMP-phosphodiesterase polypeptide synthesized in vitro. A detectable level of cAMP-phosphodiesterase mRNA is present in axenically grown cells. After starvation of the cells in phosphate buffer for 1 h an increase of translatable cAMP-phosphodiesterase mRNA occurs, followed by a decrease and another increase. When cells are starved in the presence of the slowly hydrolyzed cAMP analogue, adenosine 3',5'-thiophosphate, the level of translatable cAMP-phosphodiesterase mRNA increases about tenfold and does not show a temporary decline. A maximum of 0.015% of the total acid-insoluble radioactivity is incorporated into the Mr-48 000 cAMP-phosphodiesterase polypeptide.