Multiple subtypes of voltage-gated calcium channels are coupled to transmitter release from central neurons; however, only N-type channels have been shown to play a role in autonomic neurons. The aim of the present study was to investigate potential roles for other channel subtypes in transmitter release from parasympathetic neurons in the mouse bladder using calcium channel toxins alone and in...

PKA signaling is important for the post-translational modification of proteins, especially those in cardiomyocytes involved in cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. PKA activity is spatially and temporally regulated through compartmentalization by protein kinase A anchoring proteins. Cypher/ZASP, a member of PDZ-LIM domain protein family, is a cytoskeletal protein that forms multiprotein com...

The IP3R calcium release channel has been simulated using a stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA;Gillespie algorithm) and De young-Keiser model. A set of different concentration for Cat' and IP3 havebeen used. Considering the Number of molecules in each state, a non linear behavior of the system can beseen clearly. The inhibiting role of the Ca+2 on the open state (X110) has been studied. The d...

Background: T-type calcium channels regulate neuronal membrane excitability and participate in a number of physiologic and pathologic processes in the central nervous system, including sleep and epileptic activity. Volatile anesthetics inhibit native and recombinant T-type calcium channels at concentrations comparable to those required to produce anesthesia. To determine whether T-type calcium ...

Polycystin-2, the product of the gene mutated in type 2 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), is the prototypical member of a subfamily of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily, which is expressed abundantly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Here, we show by single channel studies that polycystin-2 behaves as a calcium-activated, high conductance E...

L-type calcium channels play only a minor role in basal neurotransmitter release in brain neurons but contribute significantly after induction of plasticity. Very little is known about mechanisms that enable L-type calcium channel participation in neurotransmitter release. Here, using mouse primary cortical neurons, we found that inhibition of Erk1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 an...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), induced by mutations in the gene encoding for the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin, is an inherited disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness. Besides the relatively well characterized skeletal muscle degenerative processes, DMD is also associated with cardiac complications. These include cardiomyopathy development and cardiac arrhythmias. The curren...

BACKGROUND Epilepsy is one of the most important central nervous system disorder and 1% of the total world population suffers from this disorder which require a chronic drug treatment. Most of the researchers suggested that excessive calcium entry into neurons is the main triggering event in the initiation of epileptic discharges but the role of L type calcium channels has not been clarified in...

Direct interactions between the presynaptic N-type calcium channel and the beta subunit of the heterotrimeric G-protein complex cause voltage-dependent inhibition of N-type channel activity, crucially influencing neurotransmitter release and contributing to analgesia caused by opioid drugs. Previous work using chimeras of the G-protein beta subtypes Gbeta1 and Gbeta5 identified two 20-amino aci...

Voltage-dependent calcium channels are widely distributed in excitable membranes and are involved in the regulation of many cellular functions. These channels can be modulated by neurotransmitters and drugs. There is one particular type of calcium channel in cardiac cells (L-type) whose gating is affected in different ways by beta-adrenoceptor and 1,4-dihydropyridine agonists. We have analysed ...