The Acrasin Activity of 3′,5′-Cyclic Nucleotides

3',5'-Cyclic nucleotides are acrasins for the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum; they have chemotactic activity on the myxamoebae at very low concentrations. However, not all cyclic nucleotides can evoke the adhesiveness necessary for aggregate formation. 2',3'-Cyclic nucleotides and dibutyrylcyclic adenosine monophosphate are not acrasins, though they enhance the rate of differentiation and morphogenesis. The addition of 3',5'-cyclic nucleotides to agar test plates stimulates the rate of morphogenesis. While the stimulatory effect of cyclic nucleotides is concentration-dependent, it is fairly uniform between pH 5 and 7, with an optimum at pH 6. The acrasins may be metabolized by extracellular phosphodiesterase to 5'-nucelotides which may then stimulate differentiation and morphogenesis.