Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a fundamental physiological gas known to profoundly influence the behaviour and health of millions of species within the plant and animal kingdoms in particular. A recent Royal Society meeting on the topic of ‘Carbon dioxide detection in biological systems' was extremely revealing in terms of the multitude of roles that different levels of CO₂ play in influencing plants and animals alike. While outstanding research has been performed by leading researchers in the area of plant biology, neuronal sensing, cell signalling, gas transport, inflammation, lung function and clinical medicine, there is still much to be learned about CO₂-dependent sensing and signalling. Notably, while several key signal transduction pathways and nodes of activity have been identified in plants and animals respectively, the precise wiring and sensitivity of these pathways to CO₂ remains to be fully elucidated. In this article, we will give an overview of the literature relating to CO₂-dependent signal transduction in mammalian systems. We will highlight the main signal transduction hubs through which CO₂-dependent signalling is elicited with a view to better understanding the complex physiological response to CO₂ in mammalian systems. The main topics of discussion in this article relate to how changes in CO₂ influence cellular function through modulation of signal transduction networks influenced by pH, mitochondrial function, adenylate cyclase, calcium, transcriptional regulators, the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase pathway and direct CO₂-dependent protein modifications. While each of these topics will be discussed independently, there is evidence of significant cross-talk between these signal transduction pathways as they respond to changes in CO₂. In considering these core hubs of CO₂-dependent signal transduction, we hope to delineate common elements and identify areas in which future research could be best directed.

二氧化碳 (CO ₂ ) 是一种基本的生理气体，已知会对数百万物种的行为和健康产生深远影响，尤其是动植物界。最近召开的皇家学会会议主题为“生物系统中的二氧化碳检测”，该会议极其揭示了不同水平的 CO ₂在影响植物和动物方面所发挥的多种作用。虽然领先的研究人员在植物生物学、神经元传感、细胞信号传导、气体运输、炎症、肺功能和临床医学领域进行了出色的研究，但关于CO ₂依赖性传感和信号传导仍有很多东西有待了解。值得注意的是，虽然已分别在植物和动物中鉴定出几个关键的信号转导途径和活性节点，但这些途径对CO ₂的精确接线和敏感性仍有待充分阐明。在本文中，我们将概述与哺乳动物系统中CO ₂依赖性信号转导相关的文献。我们将重点介绍主要的信号转导中心，通过这些中心引发 CO ₂依赖性信号传导，以便更好地了解哺乳动物系统中对 CO _{2的复杂生理反应。}本文讨论的主要主题涉及 CO ₂的变化如何通过调节受 pH、线粒体功能、腺苷酸环化酶、钙、转录调节因子、单磷酸腺苷激活蛋白激酶途径和直接 CO 影响的信号转导网络来影响细胞功能_2-依赖性蛋白质修饰。_{虽然这些主题中的每一个都将独立讨论，但有证据表明这些信号转导途径之间在响应 CO 2}变化时存在显着的串扰。在考虑这些依赖于CO ₂的信号转导的核心枢纽时，我们希望能够描绘出共同的要素并确定未来研究可以最好指导的领域。