Journal of Molecular Evolution

, Volume 63, Issue 6, pp 815–825 | Cite as

Identification of Three Distinct Phylogenetic Groups of CAX Cation/Proton Antiporters

Article
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Abstract

Ca2+/cation antiporter (CaCA) proteins are integral membrane proteins that transport Ca2+ or other cations using the H+ or Na+ gradient generated by primary transporters. The CAX (for CAtion eXchanger) family is one of the five families that make up the CaCA superfamily. CAX genes have been found in bacteria, Dictyostelium, fungi, plants, and lower vertebrates, but only a small number of CAXs have been functionally characterized. In this study, we explored the diversity of CAXs and their phylogenetic relationships. The results demonstrate that there are three major types of CAXs: type I (CAXs similar to Arabidopsis thaliana CAX1, found in plants, fungi, and bacteria), type II (CAXs with a long N-terminus hydrophilic region, found in fungi, Dictyostelium, and lower vertebrates), and type III (CAXs similar to Escherichia coli ChaA, found in bacteria). Some CAXs were found to have secondary structures that are different from the canonical six transmembrane (TM) domains–acidic motif-five TM domain structure. Our phylogenetic tree indicated no evidence to support the cyanobacterial origin of plant CAXs or the classification of Arabidopsis exchangers CAX7 to CAX11. For the first time, these results clearly define the CAX exchanger family and its subtypes in phylogenetic terms. The surprising diversity of CAXs demonstrates their potential range of biochemical properties and physiologic relevance.

Keywords

Calcium/proton antiporter Cation homeostasis Cation/proton antiporter CAX Membrane protein Phylogeny 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for John M. Ward, Heven Sze, and the members of the Hirschi laboratory for critical reading of the manuscript and helpful suggestions. This work was funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 0209777 to K. H.).

Supplementary material

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of PediatricsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUSA
  2. 2.Department of Computer ScienceRice UniversityHoustonUSA

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