title: The functions of Ca(2+) in bacteria: a role for EF-hand proteins?
abstract: In bacteria, Ca(2+) is implicated in a wide variety of cellular processes, including the cell cycle and cell division. Dedicated influx and efflux systems tightly control the low cytoplasmic Ca(2+) levels in prokaryotes. Additionally, the growing number of proteins containing various Ca(2+)-binding motifs supports the importance of Ca(2+), which controls various protein functions by affecting protein stability, enzymatic activity or signal transduction. The existence of calmodulin-like proteins (containing EF-hand motifs) in bacteria is a long-standing hypothesis. Analysis of the prokaryotic protein sequences available in the databases has revealed the presence of several calmodulin-like proteins containing two or more authentic EF-hand motifs, suggesting that calmodulin-like proteins could be involved in Ca(2+) regulation in bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001, Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michiels
authors.forename: Chuanwu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verhaert
authors.forename: Jos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderleyden
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020832:EF Hand Motifs; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002147:Calmodulin; C082316:Epf protein, Streptococcus suis; D002118:Calcium