The calmodulin-like protein, CML39, is involved in regulating seed development, germination, and fruit development in Arabidopsis.

We show that the calcium sensor, CML39, is important in various developmental processes from seeds to mature plants. This study bridges previous work on CML39 as a stress-induced gene and highlights the importance of calcium signalling in plant development. In addition to the evolutionarily-conserved Ca sensor, calmodulin (CaM), plants possess a large family of CaM-related proteins (CMLs).

Calmodulin-Like Proteins, CML15 and CML16 Possess Biochemical Properties Distinct from Calmodulin and Show Non-overlapping Tissue Expression Patterns.

Calcium ions are used as ubiquitous, key second messengers in cells across eukaryotic taxa. In plants, calcium signal transduction is involved in a wide range of cellular processes from abiotic and biotic stress responses to development and growth. Calcium signals are detected by calcium sensor proteins, of which calmodulin (CaM), is the most evolutionarily conserved and well-studied.

The Arabidopsis calmodulin-like protein, CML39, functions during early seedling establishment.

During Ca(2+) signal transduction, Ca(2+)-binding proteins known as Ca(2+) sensors function to decode stimulus-specific Ca(2+) signals into downstream responses. Plants possess extended families of unique Ca(2+) sensors termed calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs) whose cellular roles are not well understood. CML39 encodes a predicted Ca(2+) sensor whose expression is strongly increased in response to diverse external stimuli.