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Contact: Gina Kirchweger
kirchweger@salk.edu
858-453-4100 x1340
Salk Institute
Caption: When the food supply dries up, solitary Dictyostelium discoideum cells congregate and fuse into a spore-producing tower. A newly discovered hybrid enzyme called Steely2 (shown in cartoon form) forges the basic structure of the chemical signal (DIF-1, shown here as a stick model) that orchestrates this vital step in the life cycle of Dictyostelium: the transformation of omnipotent cells into dedicated spore or stalk cells.
Credit: Image by Mike Austin using a photo by Rob Kay
Usage Restrictions: Only to be used to illustrate news stories describing the research presented in the news release.
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