Evolutionary insights into T-type Ca²⁺ channel structure, function, and ion selectivity from the Trichoplax adhaerens homologue.

ABSTRACT: Four-domain voltage-gated Ca²⁺ (Ca_v) channels play fundamental roles in the nervous system, but little is known about when or how their unique properties and cellular roles evolved. Of the three types of metazoan Ca_v channels, Ca_v1 (L-type), Ca_v2 (P/Q-, N- and R-type) and Ca_v3 (T-type), Ca_v3 channels are optimized for regulating cellular excitability because of their fast kinetics and low activation voltages. These same properties permit Ca_v3 channels to drive low-threshold exocytosis in select neurons and neurosecretory cells. Here, we characterize the single T-type calcium channel from Trichoplax adhaerens (TCa_v3), an early diverging animal that lacks muscle, neurons, and synapses. C

SUBMITTER: Smith CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5379919 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature