Neuronal calcium channels: Splicing for optimal performance

Trafficking of neuronal calcium channels

Neuronal voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) serve complex yet essential physiological functions via their pivotal role in translating electrical signals into intracellular calcium elevations and associated downstream signalling pathways. There are a number of regulatory mechanisms to ensure a dynamic control of the number of channels embedded in the plasma membrane, whereas alteration of th...

Inactivation of Neuronal Calcium Channels

NATURE REVIEWS | NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 3 | NOVEMBER 2002 | 873 Voltage-gated Ca channels (VGCCs) are a large family of integral membrane proteins that control the selective flow of Ca ions down their electrochemical gradient in response to changes in membrane potential (BOX 1; TABLE 1). Ca ions control processes as diverse as cell proliferation, neuronal development and transmitter release. All o...

Calcium channels in the neuronal membrane.

Affect Piperidine Block of Neuronal Calcium Channels

The effects of local anesthetics were examined on a family of transiently expressed neuronal calcium channels. Fomocaine, a local anesthetic containing a morpholine ring, preferentially blocked (Y,~ channels (Ki = 100 PM), and had a lower affinity (3to 15fold) for (Y,~, (Y,~, and cz,c channels. Block was incompletely reversible, followed I:1 kinetics, and did not affect steady-state inactivatio...

Channels underlying neuronal calcium-activated potassium currents.

In many cell types rises in cytosolic calcium, either due to influx from the extracellular space, or by release from an intracellular store activates calcium dependent potassium currents on the plasmalemma. In neurons, these currents are largely activated following calcium influx via voltage gated calcium channels active during the action potentials. Three types of these currents are known: I(c...