Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutics to Treat Vibriosis in Humans and Aquatic Organisms
Published on: May 31, 2024
Alkylbenzoquinone involved in development of cellular slime molds
Yoshiaki Takaya1, Rie Hotta, Kenshu Fujiwara
1Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University , Nagoya 468-8503, Japan.
Abstract:
The structure of the prespore-cell-promoting factor from Dictyostelium discoideum was determined to be 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-6-pentylbenzoquinone. The synthetic compound has prespore-cell-promoting activity similar to the natural one, with half-maximal induction at a concentration as low as 40 pM. It was also found that the factor induces aggregation in an aggregation-deficient mutant of a related species, Polysphodilium violaceum. Both these activities are sensitive to positional isomerism with the 6-methyl-5-pentyl isomer showing no detectable activity.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox...
Diversity of Protists IV
Bacterial Signaling
Biofilms

