Abstract
Voltage-gated calcium channels are important mediators of several physiological processes, including neuronal excitability and muscle contraction. At the molecular level, the channels are composed of four subunits - the pore forming α1 subunit and the auxiliary α2δ, β and γ subunits. The auxiliary subunits modulate the trafficking and the biophysical properties of the α1 subunit. In the past several years there has been an acceleration of our understanding of the auxiliary subunits, primarily because of their molecular characterization and the availability of spontaneous and targeted mouse mutants. These studies have revealed the crucial role of the subunits in the functional effects that are mediated by voltage-gated calcium channels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 298-307 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Current Opinion in Neurobiology |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2003 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Auxiliary subunits: Essential components of the voltage-gated calcium channel complex'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Cite this
Arikkath, J., & Campbell, K. P. (2003). Auxiliary subunits: Essential components of the voltage-gated calcium channel complex. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 13(3), 298-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4388(03)00066-7