ABSTRACT

14-3-3 proteins are a family of highly conserved acidic proteins that perform diverse cellular roles. Multiple 14-3-3 gene products exist as homo- and heterodimers, all of which have the ability to recognize and bind conserved phosphoserine motifs in what is now a group over 100 target proteins. This is in fact that the enigma of 14-3-3s: how can a group of such highly conserved proteins perform so many different cellular/biochemical functions. This review summarizes the history of 14-3-3 proteins, their structure, some of their most understood biological roles and recent findings in plant 14-3-3 research.