NADPH oxidase homologs are required for normal cell differentiation and morphogenesis in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Membrane-associated NADPH oxidase complexes catalyse the production of the superoxide anion radical from oxygen and NADPH. In mammalian systems, NADPH oxidases form a family of at least seven isoforms that participate in host defence and signalling pathways. We report here the cloning and the characterisation of slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum homologs of the mammalian heme-containing subunit of flavocytochrome b (gp91(phox)) (NoxA, NoxB and NoxC), of the small subunit of flavocytochrome b (p22(phox)) and of the cytosolic factor p67(phox).