title: Trafficking and stability of voltage-gated calcium channels.
abstract: Voltage-gated calcium channels are important mediators of calcium influx into electrically excitable cells. The amount of calcium entering through this family of channel proteins is not only determined by the functional properties of channels embedded in the plasma membrane but also by the numbers of channels that are expressed at the cell surface. The trafficking of channels is controlled by numerous processes, including co-assembly with ancillary calcium channel subunits, ubiquitin ligases, and interactions with other membrane proteins such as G protein coupled receptors. Here we provide an overview about the current state of knowledge of calcium channel trafficking to the cell membrane, and of the mechanisms regulating the stability and internalization of this important ion channel family.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 4N1, Canada.
authors.forename: Brett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Simms
authors.forename: Gerald W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Zamponi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000502:physiology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D002147:Calmodulin; D021122:Protein Subunits