Calcium Signaling in Plants: Analysis of Vacuolar Calcium Transporters and Regulators

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Regulation of endomembrane calcium (Ca2+) transporters, which control the duration and amplitude of cytosolic Ca2+ spikes, plays a pivotal role in translating a generic cytosolic Ca2+ increase into a specific biological response. In plant biology, the precise contribution made by endomembrane Ca2+ transporters to the intricate process of Ca2+ signaling has not been delineated. The working hypothesis addressed in this project is that vacuolar transporters play a formidable role in shaping cytosolic Ca2+ levels. The PI will use the Arabidopsis vacuolar H+/ Ca2+ exchanger CAX1 to identify molecules that regulate this transporter. Experiments that perturb vacuolar Ca2+ transporters will elucidate the role that vacuolar Ca2+ sequestration plays in adapted responses and assess the spatiotemporal profile of cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients. These experiments will greatly strengthen our fundamental understanding of Ca2+ signaling in plants.