Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Monitoring the Assembly of a Secreted Bacterial Virulence Factor Using Site-specific Crosslinking
Published on: December 17, 2013
The functions of Ca(2+) in bacteria: a role for EF-hand proteins?
Jan Michiels1, Chuanwu Xi, Jan Verhaert
1Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001, Heverlee, Belgium.
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.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanical Protein Functions
Cytoskeletal Accessory Proteins
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Flagella and Motility in Bacteria
Bacterial Translocation and Protein Secretion

