Signaling actions of small molecules

Our life is fine-controlled by various molecules in cells. Different types of molecules include macromolecules (e.g., protein, nucleic acid) and small molecules. In addition to classical views of central dogma, emerging roles of small molecules called metaboites have been recently proposed to significantly impact biological events. Metabolites are contiuously and dynamically produced by different metabolic pathways, thus playing key roles in energy metabolism as well as macromolecular biosynthesis/degradation. Accumulating evidence clearly suggests that certain types of metabolites exert signa…