Natural products as molecular messengers
1Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States. circe@cornell.edu
Journal of Natural Products
|December 31, 2010
Summary
Natural products are key to understanding life and serve as vital biological signaling agents. This study explores how organisms use these compounds for chemical communication.
Area of Science:
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Chemical Ecology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The study of naturally occurring compounds is fundamental to discovering medicines, dyes, pesticides, flavors, and fragrances.
- Understanding life as a chemical phenomenon has been a long-standing scientific pursuit.
- Natural products play crucial roles as biological signaling agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine natural products from the perspective of the organisms that produce and interact with them.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which naturally occurring compounds gain their roles in chemical communication.
- To explore the ecological significance of chemical signaling in nature.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on natural products and chemical ecology.
- Analysis of case studies illustrating natural product-mediated communication.
- Conceptual framework development for understanding the evolution of signaling compounds.
Main Results:
- Natural products are integral to biological signaling processes across diverse organisms.
- The context of production and reception by organisms dictates a compound's signaling role.
- Chemical communication via natural products is a widespread and essential ecological phenomenon.
Conclusions:
- Natural products are central to biological communication, influencing interactions between organisms.
- The evolutionary acquisition of signaling roles by natural products is a key aspect of chemical ecology.
- Further research into natural product-mediated communication can yield insights into ecological dynamics and potential applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Types of Signaling Molecules
In multicellular organisms, many molecules transmit signals between cells to pass information. These signals vary in complexity and include small peptides, nucleotides, steroids, fatty acid derivatives, and dissolved gases such as nitric oxide. Some signaling molecules diffuse through the plasma membrane to act locally between neighboring cells or travel long distances. Others remain attached to the cell surface, transmitting information to other cells only when they make contact. In some...
01:32Types of Signaling Molecules
In multicellular organisms, many molecules transmit signals between cells to pass information. These signals vary in complexity and include small peptides, nucleotides, steroids, fatty acid derivatives, and dissolved gases such as nitric oxide. Some signaling molecules diffuse through the plasma membrane to act locally between neighboring cells or travel long distances. Others remain attached to the cell surface, transmitting information to other cells only when they make contact. In some...
01:26Signal Transduction: Overview
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. They respond to chemical signals, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signaling molecules, initiating a series of molecular reactions to produce an appropriate response. This is called signal transduction. Cells also coordinate different responses elicited by the same signaling molecule via mediators, allowing molecular cross-talk.
Typically, signal transduction involves three...
Typically, signal transduction involves three...
01:08Chemical Signaling in the Endocrine System
A signaling cascade is a series of events that facilitates the transmission of information within or between cells, culminating in a targeted response in the recipient cell. As chemical messengers, hormones are pivotal in initiating and modulating these intricate signaling cascades based on their solubility.
Lipid-soluble hormones, such as steroid hormones, demonstrate an intracellular action. These hormones traverse cell membranes due to their lipid nature. Once inside the target cell, they...
Lipid-soluble hormones, such as steroid hormones, demonstrate an intracellular action. These hormones traverse cell membranes due to their lipid nature. Once inside the target cell, they...
02:39Positive Regulator Molecules
Mitotic cell division results in daughter cells that exactly resemble the parent cell. However, errors in the DNA replication or distribution of genetic material may lead to genetic mutations that may be passed down to every new cell formed from the resulting abnormal cell. Propagation of such mutant cells is restricted through checkpoint mechanisms present at different stages of the cell cycle. These checkpoints involve regulator molecules that either promote or demote cell cycle events.
01:45Positive Regulator Molecules
To consistently produce healthy cells, the cell cycle—the process that generates daughter cells—must be precisely regulated.