L-type Ca²⁺ channels in heart and brain.

ABSTRACT: L-type calcium channels (Cav1) represent one of the three major classes (Cav1-3) of voltage-gated calcium channels. They were identified as the target of clinically used calcium channel blockers (CCBs; so-called calcium antagonists) and were the first class accessible to biochemical characterization. Four of the 10 known α1 subunits (Cav1.1-Cav1.4) form the pore of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) and contain the high-affinity drug-binding sites for dihydropyridines and other chemical classes of organic CCBs. In essentially all electrically excitable cells one or more of these LTCC isoforms is expressed, and therefore it is not surprising that many body functions including muscle, brain, endocrine, and sensory function depend on proper LTCC activity. Gene knockouts and inherited huma

SUBMITTER: Striessnig J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3968275 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature