Fig. 8. Expression of GFP-cFIP in AX2 affects development and phototaxis. (A) 1x10⁸ cells were deposited onto a phosphate agar plate, allowed to developed at 21°C and documented at the indicated times. (A) Microscopic images of the developmental stages of GFP-cFIP-expressing cells and AX2 cells at the indicated time points. GFP-cFIP-expressing cells have completed their developmental program after 16 hours of starvation, whereas AX2 cells need 24 hours to form fruiting bodies. The figures also reveal that the GFP-cFIP-expressing cell line forms smaller aggregates that develop into shorter fruiting bodies. Bar, 1 mm. (B) Differences in the size of the aggregates from GFP-cFIP-expressing and AX2 cells measured after 8 hours of starvation (left). The diameter of the GFP-cFIP aggregates is reduced by about 30% compared with the wild-type aggregates. Likewise, the length of the fruiting bodies was measured after 24 hours of development (right). The GFP-cFIP-expressing cells form fruiting bodies that are reduced in size by 30% compared with the AX2 cells. The columns represent mean±s.e. value [t₈: n=268 (GFP-cFIP), 270 (AX2); t₂₄: n=96 (GFP-cFIP), 41 (AX2)]. The experiments were performed three times. (C) AX2 cells expressing GFP-cFIP have a phototaxis defect. Slugs do not move straight towards the light but at an angle and travel shorter distances. (a) Behavior of AX2 wild-type slugs, (b), behavior of GFP-cFIP-expressing AX2 slugs. Slug migration was for 48 hours. The location of the light source is indicated by an arrowhead.