From cytosol to organelles: 14-3-3 proteins as multifunctional regulators of plant cell

14-3-3 proteins are a class of highly conserved proteins wide-spread in eukaryotes. They regulate several cellular processes through phosphorylation-dependent interaction with their targets. Since their discovery in plants, a number of peculiar functions have been ascertained, such as regulation of primary metabolism, ion transport, cellular trafficking, chloroplast and mitochondrial enzyme activities and gene transcription. The still increasing body of evidence suggests that 14-3-3s may function as versatile proteins able to move from cytosol to different cellular organelles. This review will focus on the broad range of regulatory tasks carried out by 14-3-3s in the different compartments.