Cyclic AMP and cGMP play important roles in signal transduction in bacteria as well as
eukaryotes. 1, 2 The intracellular concentrations of the cyclic nucleotides (cNMPs) therefore
have to be fine-tuned, not only by the regulation of nucleotide cyclases that synthesize
cNMPs, but also of cNMP phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which hydrolyze cNMPs to their
respective NMPs. Cyclic NMP PDEs are therefore critical enzymes involved in the
dampening of cNMP-dependent signaling pathways. Cyclic NMP PDEs can be grouped into …

Cyclic nucleotide monophosphate (cNMP) hydrolysis in bacteria and eukaryotes is brought
about by distinct cNMP phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Since these enzymes differ in amino
acid sequence and properties, they have evolved by convergent evolution. Cyclic NMP
PDEs cleave cNMPs to NMPs, and the Rv0805 gene product is, to date, the only identifiable
cNMP PDE in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We have shown that Rv0805 is a
cAMP/cGMP dual specificity PDE, and is unrelated in amino acid sequence to the …