Putative capacitative calcium entry channels: expression of Drosophila trp and evidence for the existence of vertebrate homologues.

Capacitative calcium entry is a major pathway through which intracellular calcium stores are refilled after stimulation. It has been suggested that the protein encoded by the transient receptor potential (trp) gene expressed in Drosophila photoreceptors may be homologous with capacitative calcium entry channels. Expression of the trp gene product in Xenopus oocytes led to significant increases in calcium entry only when the intracellular calcium stores were depleted. Previous investigations have found trp to be uniquely expressed in Drosophila photoreceptors, but PCR cloning shows that homologous proteins exist in Calliphora, mouse brain and Xenopus oocytes. It is thus possible that capacitative calcium entry in Xenopus oocytes is mediated by a homologue of trp.