Ca2+ Pumps and Ca2+ Antiporters in Plant Development

Calcium (Ca2+) efflux transporters remove Ca2+ from the cytosol of the cell either by transporting it out of the cell across the plasma membrane or into internal organelles. These transporters, which include Ca2+-ATPases and Ca2+/H+ antiporters, have a critical role in preventing Ca2+ toxicity, maintaining cytosolic Ca2+ at a low resting level, and transferring Ca2+ to specific cellular locations where it is required. Many genes encoding plant Ca2+-ATPases and Ca2+/H+ antiporters have now been identified and characterised to elucidate their biochemical and genetic features. Furthermore, the use of gene knockouts has begun to provide evidence for an involvement of these Ca2+ transporters in Ca2+-signaling networks and in various aspects of plant development.