Vacuolar Ca(2+) uptake

Calcium transporters that mediate the removal of Ca(2+) from the cytosol and into internal stores provide a critical role in regulating Ca(2+) signals following stimulus induction and in preventing calcium toxicity. The vacuole is a major calcium store in many organisms, particularly plants and fungi. Two main pathways facilitate the accumulation of Ca(2+) into vacuoles, Ca(2+)-ATPases and Ca(2+)/H(+) exchangers. Here I review the biochemical and regulatory features of these transporters that have been characterised in yeast and plants. These Ca(2+) transport mechanisms are compared with those being identified from other vacuolated organisms including algae and protozoa. Studies suggest that Ca(2+) uptake into vacuoles and other related acidic Ca(2+) stores occurs by conserved mechanisms which developed early in evolution.