Small signaling molecule gives green light for cell division
Thursday, May 7, 2015 - 08:00
in Biology & Nature
Generating offspring is the evolutionary goal of all living organisms. The multiplication of individual cells is coordinated by the cell cycle. For the discovery of how this process is regulated in eukaryotes the Noble Prize was awarded in 2001. The team of Prof. Urs Jenal at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has now identified the central switch for reproduction in bacteria. While cell cycle progression in eukaryotes is regulated by small proteins called cyclins, in bacteria this role is adopted by a small signaling molecule, c-di-GMP. In the current issue of Nature the scientists describe the molecular details of this process.