Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kv10.1

Title: Ancestral Ca2+ signaling machinery in early animal and fungal evolution.

Authors: Xinjiang Cai, David E Clapham

Journal, date & volume: Mol. Biol. Evol., 2012 Jan , 29, 91-100

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680871

Abstract
Animals and fungi diverged from a common unicellular ancestor of Opisthokonta, yet they exhibit significant differences in their components of Ca2+ signaling pathways. Many Ca2+ signaling molecules appear to be either animal-specific or fungal-specific, which is generally believed to result from lineage-specific adaptations to distinct physiological requirements. Here, by analyzing the genomic data from several close relatives of animals and fungi, we demonstrate that many components of animal and fungal Ca2+ signaling machineries are present in the apusozoan protist Thecamonas trahens, which belongs to the putative unicellular sister group to Opisthokonta. We also identify the conserved portion of Ca2+ signaling molecules in early evolution of animals and fungi following their divergence. Furthermore, our results reveal the lineage-specific expansion of Ca2+ channels and transporters in the unicellular ancestors of animals and in basal fungi. These findings provide novel insights into the evolution and regulation of Ca2+ signaling critical for animal and fungal biology.