NONDEGRADATIVE PISATIN-RESISTANCE IN DICTYOSTELIUM-DISCOIDEUM, NEUROSPORA-CRASSA AND NECTRIA-HAEMATOCOCCA - SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Paradoxically, on pisatin-medium (150 mu g/ml) the cellular slime moul d Dictyostelium discoideum grows only when plated as spores but not wh en plated as amoebae. The recent discovery of inducible nondegradative pisatin resistance in amoebae has allowed us to formulate a model tha t resolves this paradox. In this model, the germinating amoeba is post ulated to acquire a pisatin-resistance phenotype while ensconced withi n the spore wall. This article reviews the findings on which this mode l is based and extends it to also account for the differences in pisat in sensitivity phenotype that result from sterol alteration in cellula r slime moulds and fungi.