Calmodulin in Paramecium: Focus on Genomic Data

Calcium (Ca(2+)) is a universal second messenger that plays a key role in cellular signaling. However, Ca(2+) signals are transduced with the help of Ca(2+)-binding proteins, which serve as sensors, transducers, and elicitors. Among the collection of these Ca(2+)-binding proteins, calmodulin (CaM) emerged as the prototypical model in eukaryotic cells. This is a small protein that binds four Ca(2+) ions and whose functions are multiple, controlling many essential aspects of cell physiology. CaM is universally distributed in eukaryotes, from multicellular organisms, such as human and land plants, to unicellular microorganisms, such as yeasts and ciliates. Here, we review most of the information gathered on CaM in Paramecium, a group of ciliates. We condense the information here by mentioning that mature Paramecium CaM is a 148 amino acid-long protein codified by a single gene, as in other eukaryotic microorganisms. In these ciliates, the protein is notoriously localized and regulates cilia function and can stimulate the activity of some enzymes. When Paramecium CaM is mutated, cells show flawed locomotion and/or exocytosis. We further widen this and additional information in the text, focusing on genomic data.