CALA — Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4

Summary

AnCALA (ANIA_08820) on chromosome 3 of Aspergillus nidulans encodes a serine/threonine-protein phosphatase of the PP2B/calcineurin-like family, with calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase activity, calcium-dependent protein serine/threonine phosphatase activity, and ferric iron binding. It is associated with the calcineurin complex, DPS complex, and PTW/PP1 phosphatase complex, and linked to diverse biological processes including developmental induction, regulation of cell budding and morphogenesis, anisotropic cell growth, centromere clustering, and regulation of glycogen anabolism. Phenotypic associations connect AnCALA to spore germination, bipolar and axial budding rates, endocytosis, cell cycle progression, meiosis, pseudohyphal growth, desiccation resistance, and nitrogen source utilization. Studies of related genes in other species have linked the family to pathogenicity and virulence traits.