Ancestral Ca2+ signaling machinery in early animal and fungal evolution

Mol Biol Evol. 2012 Jan;29(1):91-100. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msr149. Epub 2011 Jun 16.

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.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Calcium Channels / genetics
  • Calcium Channels / metabolism
  • Calcium Signaling / genetics*
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Eukaryota / classification
  • Eukaryota / genetics*
  • Eukaryota / metabolism
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Fungi / genetics*
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / genetics
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / metabolism
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Substances

  • Calcium Channels
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel