| Updated in 7/23/2019 12:23:18 PM |
Viewed: 271 times |
(Journal Article) |
Cell calcium 57 (3): 166-73 (2015)
Insights into the early evolution of animal calcium signaling machinery: a unicellular point of view.
Xinjiang Cai
,
Xiangbing Wang
,
Sandip Patel
,
David E Clapham
ABSTRACT
The basic principles of Ca(2+) regulation emerged early in prokaryotes. Ca(2+) signaling acquired more extensive and varied functions when life evolved into multicellular eukaryotes with intracellular organelles. Animals, fungi and plants display differences in the mechanisms that control cytosolic Ca(2+) concentrations. The aim of this review is to examine recent findings from comparative genomics of Ca(2+) signaling molecules in close unicellular relatives of animals and in common unicellular ancestors of animals and fungi. Also discussed are the evolution and origins of the sperm-specific CatSper channel complex, cation/Ca(2+) exchangers and four-domain voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels. Newly identified evolutionary evidence suggests that the distinct Ca(2+) signaling machineries in animals, plants and fungi likely originated from an ancient Ca(2+) signaling machinery prior to early eukaryotic radiation.