Three for T: molecular analysis of the low voltage-activated calcium channel family.
Despite the wealth of information on voltage-gated calcium channels, little is known about low voltage-activated, T-type channels. The ability of the antihypertensive drug mibefradil to selectively block T-type channels has generated much interest in their structure, physiology and pharmacology. This review covers the cloning of a new family of calcium channels, their putative structure, the electrophysiological evidence that demonstrated that these complementary DNAs encoded low voltage-activated, T-type channels, the tissue expression of these genes, and concludes with a discussion of their possible physiological roles.
Perez-Reyes
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Department of Physiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153, USA. eperez@luc.edu
D000818:Animals; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004594:Electrophysiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type; D012333:RNA, Messenger