Abstract
The 14-3-3 proteins constitute a family that is highly conserved in a wide range of organisms, including higher eukaryotes, invertebrates and plants. Variants of 14-3-3 proteins assembled in homo- and heterodimers were found to interact with diverse cellular proteins. Until recently, the biological role of 14-3-3 members was still poorly understood. However, the results of an increasing number of studies on their structure and function are converging to define 14-3-3 proteins as a novel type of adaptor that modulates interactions between components involved in signal transduction pathway and in cell cycle control.