Cyclic (di)nucleotides: the common language shared by microbe and host
Juyi Gao1, Jianli Tao1, Weili Liang2
1State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China.
Abstract:
Fluency in a common language allows individuals to convey information and carry out complex activities that otherwise would be difficult or even impossible without the benefit of shared communication. Cyclic (di)nucleotides have recently been recognized as such an accessible language understood by both microbe and the host, ever since remarkable progresses have revealed the molecular details of these nucleotide second messengers used in cellular communication systems. Though undergoing separate evolutionary pathways in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, cyclic (di)nucleotides enable microbes to influence host cells immediately and fiercely by modulating a variety of cellular activities. Here we highlight recent insights in cyclic (di)nucleotides and focus on the balancing of these indispensable signaling molecules by synthases and phosphodiesterases.
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