Nature 328, 811 - 814 (27 August 1987); doi:10.1038/328811a0

Chemical structure of the morphogen differentiation inducing factor from Dictyostelium discoideum

Howard R. Morris^*, Graham W. Taylor^§, Mark S. Masento^*, Keith A. Jermyn^† & Robert R. Kay^‡

^* Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK
^† Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, Hertfordshire EN6 3LD, UK
^‡ MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK
^§ Present address: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK

Morphogens are signal molecules presumed to exist in embryos and to be involved in establishing the spatial pattern of cells during development. Differentiation inducing factor (DIF) has the properties of a morphogen required for producing the prestalk/prespore pattern in the aggregate formed by cells of the slime mould Dictyostelium in response to starvation. DIF-1, the major bioactive species after purification, has now been identified using a combined microchemical, spectroscopic and synthetic approach. The structure is defined as 1-(3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxy-4-methoxy-phenyl)-1-hexanone, and represents a new class of effector molecule. The availability of relatively large quantities of synthetic and isotopically labelled materials should now allow progress towards a detailed understanding of the pattern-forming processes in Dictyostelium development.