Ricerc@Sapienza

Glucose is the preferred nutrient for most living cells and is also a signaling molecule that modulates several cellular processes. Glucose regulates the expression of glucose permease genes in yeasts through signaling pathways dependent on plasma membrane glucose sensors. In the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, sufficient levels of glucose induction of the low-affinity glucose transporter RAG1 gene also depends on a functional glycolysis, suggesting additional intracellular signaling.

The mutual interaction between environment and life is a main topic of biological sciences. An interesting aspect of this interaction is the existence of biological rhythms spanning all the levels of organisms from bacteria to humans. On the other hand, the existence of a coupling between external oscillatory stimuli and adaptation and evolution rate of biological systems is a still unexplored issue.

Background: Phosphodiesterases (PDE) are a superfamily of enzymes that hydrolyse cyclic nucleotides (cAMP/
cGMP), signal molecules in transduction pathways regulating crucial aspects of cell life. PDEs regulate the intensity
and duration of the cyclic nucleotides signal modulating the downstream biological efect. Due to this critical role
associated with the extensive distribution and multiplicity of isozymes, the 11 mammalian families (PDE1 to PDE11)