We have previously reported that a NF-κB transduction pathway was likely to be present in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. This conclusion was based on several observations, including the detection of developmentally regulated DNA binding proteins in Dictyostelium nuclear extracts that bound to bona fide κB sequences. We have now performed additional experiments which demonstrate that the protein responsible for this NF-κB-like DNA binding activity is the Dictyostelium GBF (G box regulatory element binding factor) transcription factor. This result, along with the fact that no sequence with significant similarity to components of the mammalian NF-κB pathway can be found in Dictyostelium genome, now almost entirely sequenced, led us to reconsider our previous conclusion on the occurrence of a NF-κB signal transduction pathway in Dictyostelium.

Keywords:
Dictyostelium discoideum, GBF transcription factor, NF-κB
© The Company of Biologists Limited 2001
2001
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