Evolving perspectives on lipid mediated cell-to-cell communication: The adenylyl cyclase signaling system.

Summary: For a long time, scientists have known about a special signal in our cells called cAMP, but they didn't fully understand how the "machines" making it—called adenylyl cyclases—are controlled. It turns out, these machines have parts that act like catchers' mitts for fats (fatty acids). Because fats don't mix well with water, they are likely shared right where two cells touch, creating a steady signal between them. Once a fat attaches to the machine, it probably stays there, which might signal the cell to recycle or destroy the machine. This exciting idea connects how cells use fats to talk to each other with other well-known messaging systems in our bodies!