title: Functional diversity in neuronal voltage-gated calcium channels by alternative splicing of Ca(v)alpha1.
abstract: Alternative splicing is a critical mechanism used extensively in the mammalian nervous system to increase the level of diversity that can be achieved by a set of genes. This review focuses on recent studies of voltage-gated calcium (Ca) channel Ca(v)alpha1 subunit splice isoforms in neurons. Voltage-gated Ca channels couple changes in neuronal activity to rapid changes in intracellular Ca levels that in turn regulate an astounding range of cellular processes. Only ten genes have been identified that encode Ca(v)alpha1 subunits, an insufficient number to account for the level of functional diversity among voltage-gated Ca channels. The consequences of regulated alternative splicing among the genes that comprise voltage-gated Ca channels permits specialization of channel function, optimizing Ca signaling in different regions of the brain and in different cellular compartments. Although the full extent of alternative splicing is not yet known for any of the major subtypes of voltage-gated Ca channels, it is already clear that it adds a rich layer of structural and functional diversity".
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Diane_Lipscombe@Brown.edu
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lipscombe
authors.forename: Jennifer Qian
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Annette C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D017136:Ion Transport; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021122:Protein Subunits; D017393:RNA Editing; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D051381:Rats; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017385:Sequence Homology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: C472073:CACNA1D protein, human; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015220:Calcium Channels; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D021122:Protein Subunits; D002118:Calcium