Dictyostelium CBP3 associates with actin cytoskeleton and is related to slug migration

Calcium-binding protein 3 (CBP3) expression was up-regulated under the control of the actin 15 promoter and down-regulated by RNA interference in Dictyostelium discoideum. The overexpression of CBP3 accelerated cell aggregation and formed small aggregates and fruiting body. CBP3-inhibited cells showed uneven aggregation and increased slug trail lengths toward the directed light, whereas CBP3-overexpressing cells showed the opposite phenomena. Under dark condition, the enhanced slug trail length was also observed in the CBP3-inhibited cells. Yeast two-hybrid screening identified actin 8 as interacting protein with CBP3. The interaction between CBP3 and actin was confirmed by β-galactosidase assay and surface plasmon resonance. CBP3 was associated with Triton X-100-insoluble cytoskeleton in the presence of Ca2+ and the interaction of CBP3 with cytoskeleton was increased by the addition of Ca2+. Using fluorescence microscopy, CBP3 was also shown to associate with the actin cytoskeleton during development. Subcellular fractionation indicated that CBP3 was enriched in cytosolic fraction. Taken together, these results suggest that CBP3 interacts with actin cytoskeleton and has a role during cell aggregation and slug migration of Dictyostelium.