[Activity of cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) in bacteria and the study of its derivatives]

Cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger present in a wide variety of bacteria, which is responsible for cell differentiation, biofilm formation, pathogenic factor generation, and so on. The level of c-di-GMP in bacteria is regulated by two opposing active domains, diguanylate cyclase (DGC) and phosphodiesterase (PDE), which are present in the same bifunctional protein, and in charge of the synthesis and the degradation of c-di-GMP, respectively. The target of c-di-GMP in the bacterial cell consists of PilZ domain and GEMM riboswitch, the only riboswitch that involved in signal transduction. This article gives an overview of c-di-GMP, focusing on its metabolic pathway, regulatory mechanism, biological function of c-di-GMP, and the synthesis of c-di-GMP analogues and their biological activity.