A comparative genomic analysis of the calcium signaling machinery in Neurospora crassa, Magnaporthe grisea, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A large number of Ca 2+-signaling proteins have been previously identified and characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae but relatively few have been discovered in filamentous fungi. In this study, a detailed, comparative genomic analysis of Ca 2+-signaling proteins in Neurospora crassa, Magnaporthe grisea, and S. cerevisiae has been made. Our BLAST analysis identified 48, 42, and 40 Ca 2+-signaling proteins in N. crassa, M. grisea, and S. cerevisiae, respectively. In N. crassa, M. grisea, and S. cerevisiae, 79, 100, and 13% of these proteins, respectively, were previously unknown. For N. crassa, M. grisea, and S. cerevisiae, respectively, we have identified: three Ca 2+-permeable channels in each species; 9, 12, and 5 Ca 2+/cation-ATPases; eight, six, and four Ca 2+-exchangers; four, four, and two phospholipase C's; one calmodulin in each species; and 23, 21, and 29 Ca 2+/calmodulin-regulated proteins. Homologs of a number of key proteins involved in the release of Ca 2+ from intracellular stores, and in the sensing of extracellular Ca 2+, in animal and plant cells, were not identified. The greater complexity of the Ca 2+-signaling machinery in N. crassa and M. grisea over that in S. cerevisiae probably reflects their more complex cellular organization and behavior, and the greater range of external signals which filamentous fungi have to respond to in their natural habitats. To complement the data presented in this paper, a comprehensive web-based database resource ( http://www.fungalcell.org/fdf/) of all Ca 2+-signaling proteins identified in N. crassa, M. grisea, and S. cerevisiae has been provided.