cluded that methanol is one of the VOCs involved in within-plant and plant-to-plant signaling. Here, we used HeLa cancer cells, which have been shown to have no ADH activity and, therefore, cannot ferment methanol to produce formaldehyde. We constructed SSH cDNA libraries from HeLa cells exposed to methanol and isolated MRGs. Moreover, we validated the MRG identification using leukocytes from healthy volunteers and showed differences in MRG expression in leukocytes following vegetable intake, which resulted in increases in methanol content. To understand the physiological role of methanol in animals, we showed that methanol generated by the pectin/PME complex may be involved in mammalian gene regulation. Methanol and pectin ingestion resulted in the rapid appearance of methanol in mouse plasma and was accompanied by the accumulation of mGAPDH, mTax1BP1, and mSNX27 mRNA in the brain. GAPDH has often been referred to as a ��housekeeping��gene and is used to standardize northern blots. Over the last two decades, however, a number of novel functions for GAPDH beyond glycolysis have been described, including its participation in nuclear 
trafficking and Oritavancin (diphosphate) apoptosis. Methanolmediated GAPDH mRNA accumulation in the brain suggests a signaling function for methanol. This idea was supported by the simultaneous increase in the accumulation of mTax1BP1 and mSNX27 mRNA because recent data showed the involvement of Tax1BP1 in transcription regulation and the involvement of SNX27, which is a member of the human sorting nexin family, in signal transmission. The effects of methanol in mouse are likely to involve many different aspects or features, including cell cycle regulation as suggested by the accumulation of mCycA2 mRNA. Here, we also showed that leaf wounding caused enhanced production of gaseous methanol and that inhaling these vapors resulted in increased methanol content in the mouse plasma and the modification of brain MRG mRNA levels. We suggest that methanol can function as an attractant for mammals. In the wild, mice are primarily herbivores and eat whatever vegetation is available, including fallen seeds and fruits accumulating ethanol and methanol. We propose that the methanol content in the mouse bloodstream would increase very slightly during the search for wounded plants as food but that the increase Methanol as a Cross-Kingdom Signal rich foods and isolated viscous dietary fibers have demonstrated a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans and the reduction of atherosclerosis lesions in an animal model. In addition, a substantial amount of research has suggested that fruit pectin has a role in the prevention of cancer progression and metastasis. SAM is used as a dietary supplement for the treatment of many medical disorders, including depression. Interestingly, recent findings indicate a critical role for SAM in the maintenance of neuronal health, suggesting a possible role for SAM as a neuroprotective dietary supplement for Alzheimer’s disease patients. Although SAM intake did not result in methanol formation, we hypothesize a role PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22188834 for methanol in the maintenance of neuronal health. Considering the proposed signaling function for methanol, we should estimate the toxic consequences of exogenous methanol intake and the production of endogenous methanol in humans. Methanol itself is harmless, but it is a ��Trojan horse��for toxic formaldehyde, the formation of which is catalyzed by ADH. Formaldehyde is further oxidized to formic acid by formalde
