Homeoprotein Hbx4 represses the expression of the adhesion molecule DdCAD-1 governing cytokinesis and development

We investigated the function of homeodomain-containing protein Hbx4 in Dictyostelium discoideum. Hbx4-overexpressing cells (Hbx4(OE)) displayed defects in growth rate and cytokinesis and showed differences in slug motility and cell-type proportioning from KAx3. Furthermore, the overexpression of Hbx4 inhibited the induction of cadA, which encoded the Ca(2+)-dependent cell adhesion molecule DdCAD-1, despite expression of csaA and gpaB. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the promoter of cadA contained the Hbx4-binding site. Moreover, constitutively expressed DdCAD-1 in Hbx4(OE) rescued the defects in cytokinesis and development. These results suggest that Hbx4 modulates DdCAD-1-mediated cytokinesis and cell-type proportioning.