title: Prevailing concepts of c-di-GMP signaling.
abstract: Recently, the list of ubiquitous bacterial secondary messengers which include cAMP and ppGpp has been extended by 3',5'-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP). C-di-GMP metabolism is tuned by the tightly controlled activity of diguanylate cyclases and c-di-GMP-specific phosphodiesterases. As c-di-GMP-metabolizing enzymes are not only found frequently in bacterial genomes, but also are often numerous in individual genomes, the c-di-GMP metabolic network is highly complex whereby signaling specificity is adjusted on the level of expression, enzymatic activity, protein localization and, most likely, receptor affinity. The targets of c-di-GMP, which include protein and RNA receptors, are subsequently being unraveled. Besides the transition between sessility and motility, probably the most ancient regulatory control of bacterial behavior by c-di-GMP, many more phenotypes such as virulence are affected by c-di-GMP. However, the exact molecular mechanisms of c-di-GMP action remain to be discovered.
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Römling
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simm
mesh_terms: D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001665:Binding Sites; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000502:physiology; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: C062025:bis(3',5')-cyclic diguanylic acid; D006152:Cyclic GMP