Starvation promotes Dictyostelium development by relieving PufA inhibition of PKA translation through the YakA kinase pathway.
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pufA encodes a member of the PUF (Pumilio) family of translational regulators, identified as a suppressor of yakA.
"encodes a member of the Puf protein family of translational regulators"
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PufA binds a recognition element in the PKA-C mRNA, forming a complex detectable in wild-type but not pufA-null extracts.
"Gel mobility-shift assays using a 200-base segment of PKA-C's mRNA as a probe reveals a complex with wild-type cell extracts, but not with pufA- cell extracts"
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PufA is a translational repressor that directly controls synthesis of the PKA catalytic subunit; loss of PufA causes PKA-C overexpression and precocious development.
"Upon starvation, pufA- cells develop precociously and overexpress developmentally important proteins, including the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, PKA-C"
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PufA acts as a translational regulator directly controlling PKA-C synthesis, and YakA initiates development by inhibiting PufA expression.
"PufA is a translational regulator that directly controls PKA-C synthesis"