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Nature 394, 23-24 (2 July 1998) | doi:10.1038/27782

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Signal transduction:  What goes up must come down

David R. H. Evans1 & Brian A. Hemmings1

Eukaryotic cells can adjust their metabolism, growth and differentiation in response to hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters and stress by reversible protein phosphorylation — the addition and removal of phosphate groups. To ensure the efficacy of intracellular signals conveyed in this manner, opposing protein kinase and protein phosphatase enzymes (which add and remove phosphate groups, respectively) have evolved a high degree of substrate specificity, and systems for precise intracellular targeting1,2.

  1. David R. H. Evans and Brian A. Hemmings are at the Friedrich Miescher Institute, PO Box 2543, 4002 Basel, Switzerland.
    e-mails: Email: david.evans@fmi.ch
    Email: hemmings@fmi.ch