Dictyostelium discoideum is a simple model widely used to study many cellular functions, including differentiation, gene regulation, cellular trafficking and directional migration. Adaptation mechanisms are essential in the regulation of these cellular processes. The misregulation of adaptation components often results in persistent activation of signaling pathways and aberrant cellular responses. Studying adaptation mechanisms regulating cellular migration will be crucial in the treatment of many pathological conditions in which motility plays a central role, such as tumor metastasis and acute inflammation. I will describe two adaptation mechanisms regulating directional migration in Dictyostelium cells. The Extracellular signal Regulated Kinase 2 (ERK2) plays an essential role in Dictyostelium cellular migration. ERK2 stimulates intracellular cAMP accumulation in chemotaxing cells. Aberrant ERK2 regulation results in aberrant cAMP levels and defective directional migration. The MAP Phosphatase with Leucine-rich repeats (MPL1) is crucial for ERK2 adaptation. Cells lacking, MPL1 (mpl1- cells) displayed higher pre-stimulus and persistent post-stimulus ERK2 phosphorylation, defective cAMP production and reduced cellular migration. Reintroduction of a full length Mpl1 into mpl1- cells restored aggregation, ERK2 regulation, random and directional motility, and cAMP production similar to wild type cells (Wt). These results suggest Mpl1 is essential for proper regulation of ERK2 phosphorylation and optimal motility in Dictyostelium cells. Cellular polarization in Dictyostelium cells in part is regulated by the activation of the AGC-related kinase Protein Kinase Related B1 (PKBR1). The PP2A regulatory subunit, B56, and the Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3) are necessary for PKBR1 adaptation in Dictyostelium cells. Cells lacking B56, psrA-cells, exhibited high basal and post-stimulus persistent phosphorylation of PKBR1, increased phosphorylation of PKBR1 substrates, and aberrant motility. PKBR1 adaptation is also regulated by the GSK3. When the levels of active GSK3 are reduced in Wt and psrA- cells, high basal levels of phosphorylated PKBR1 were observed, in a Ras dependent, but B56 independent mechanism. Altogether, PKBR1 adaptation is regulated by at least two independent mechanisms: one by GSK3 and another by PP2A/B56.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are organelles with many functions in cells and numerous protein interactors facilitate their biogenesis, maintenance, and turnover. The mammalian lipase responsible for LD turnover during lipophagy, LipA, has two candidate homologs in Arabidopsis: MPL1 and LIP1. One or both of these plant homologs may function in a similar manner to mammalian LipA, providing an LD breakdown pathway. To test this hypothesis, wild type (WT) Arabidopsis plants, MPL1 over-expressing (OE) mutants, and T-DNA insertion mutants of MPL1 (mpl1) and LIP1 (lip1) were examined for LD phenotypes in normal conditions and in environments where LD numbers are known to fluctuate. Plants to be imaged by confocal microscopy were exposed to heat stress and wounding to increase LD accumulation, senescence was induced in leaves to deplete lipids, and LDs were imaged throughout the day/night period to observe their diurnal regulation. The mutation of both MPL1 and LIP1 lead to an increase in LDs within the leaf mesophyll cells, although the spatial distribution of the LDs differed between the two mutants. mpl1 mutants had disrupted diurnal regulation of their LDs, but lip1 mutants did not. Alternately, lip1 mutants retained LDs during dark-induced senescence, and mpl1 mutants did not. Together these results suggest that MPL1 and LIP1 are likely both important for LD dynamics; however they appear have roles in different aspects of LD accumulation and turnover.