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Resolving Amoebozoan Encystation from Dictyostelium Evo-Devo and Amoebozoan Comparative Genomics

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Eukaryome Impact on Human Intestine Homeostasis and Mucosal Immunology

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Abstract

Amoebozoa, such as Entamoeba and Acanthamoeba, survive environmental stress by encystment, but also comprise the Dictyostelia which form spores in multicellular fruiting bodies to survive starvation stress. Sporulation is triggered by cAMP activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), with cAMP levels being controlled by the adenylate cyclases ACG and ACR and the phosphodiesterase RegA. Many Dictyostelia can also alternatively encyst and we showed that environmental stress acts on ACG and ACR to increase cAMP and thereby activate PKA to trigger encystation, with RegA preventing precocious encystation and inducing cyst germination. RegA activity requires phosphorylation of its response regulator domain, which is controlled by Sensor Histidine Kinases/Phosphatases (SHKPs), which in Dictyostelium respond to developmental signals. Comparative genomics showed that RegA, AcrA and PKA and a wealth of SHKPs are deeply conserved in Amoebozoa, where SHKs may sense food and SHPs environmental stress.

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Acknowledgements

Our research is funded by Welcome grant 100293/Z/12/Z, ERC Advanced grant 742288 and Leverhulme grant RPG-2016-220.

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  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD15EH, UK

    Qingyou Du, Yoshinori Kawabe & Pauline Schaap

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  1. Qingyou Du
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  2. Yoshinori Kawabe
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Correspondence to Pauline Schaap .

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    Nancy Guillen

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Du, Q., Kawabe, Y., Schaap, P. (2020). Resolving Amoebozoan Encystation from Dictyostelium Evo-Devo and Amoebozoan Comparative Genomics. In: Guillen, N. (eds) Eukaryome Impact on Human Intestine Homeostasis and Mucosal Immunology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44826-4_2

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