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. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.