ABSTRACT
Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells respond to hypotonic stress (HTS) by a cytosolic calcium rise, either generated by an influx of calcium from extracellular medium, when calcium is available, or by a release from intracellular stores in scarcity of extracellular calcium. Calcium release from intracellular compartments is peculiarly inhibited by external calcium in a calcineurin-independent and Cch1-, but not Mid1-, driven manner. HTS-induced calcium release is also negatively regulated by the ER protein Cls2 and involves a poorly characterized protein, FLC2/YAL053W gene product, previously proposed to be required for FAD transport in the ER, albeit, due to its molecular features, it was also previously classified as an ion transporter. A computational analysis revealed that this gene and its three homologs in S. cerevisiae, together with previously identified Schizosaccharomyces pombe pkd2 and Neurospora crassa calcium-related spray protein, belong to a fungal branch of TRP-like ion transporters related to human mucolipin and polycystin 2 calcium transporters. Moreover, disruption of FLC2 gene confers severe sensitivity to Calcofluor white and hyper-activation of the cell wall integrity MAPK cascade, suggesting a role in cell wall maintenance as previously suggested for the fission yeast homolog. Perturbation in cytosolic resting calcium concentration and hyper-activation of calcineurin in exponentially growing cells suggest a role for this transporter in calcium homeostasis in yeast.