Figure 8.

Proposed mechanism of tubular transformation. Water activity sensors on the cell surface survey the hydration status of the environment. Once triggered, they send signals to the nucleus, triggering drastic changes in the entire cell that result in a fragmented nucleus (arrow) and a synthesis of cell wall materials (arrow). The fragmented nucleus, with filamentous branches, resides in the center of fortified tubular structure. Scale bar is 0.2 μm.