Fusicoccanes: diterpenes with surprising biological functions

Fusicoccin is the best-studied member of a class of diterpenes sharing a 5-8-5 ring structure, called fusicoccanes. Fusicoccin was and still is a ‘tool in plant physiology’, targeting the main engine of plasma membrane transport, the P-type H+-ATPase, assisted by members of the 14-3-3 family. The key position of 14-3-3 proteins in cell biology, combined with a broader specificity of other fusicoccanes as shown by crystallography studies, make fusicoccanes a versatile tool in plant and animal biology. In this review, we examine recent evidence that fusicoccanes act on animal cells, describe the discovery of the fungal biosynthetic pathway and emphasize that lower (liverworts) and higher plants produce fusicoccanes with intriguing biological activities.