Ca(2+)-regulated ion channels.
Due to its high external and low internal concentration the Ca(2+) ion is used ubiquitously as an intracellular signaling molecule, and a great many Ca(2+)-sensing proteins have evolved to receive and propagate Ca(2+) signals. Among them are ion channel proteins, whose Ca(2+) sensitivity allows internal Ca(2+) to influence the electrical activity of cell membranes and to feedback-inhibit further Ca(2+) entry into the cytoplasm. In this review I will describe what is understood about the Ca(2+) sensing mechanisms of the three best studied classes of Ca(2+)-sensitive ion channels: Large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, small-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, and voltage- gated Ca(2+) channels. Great strides in mechanistic understanding have be made for each of these channel types in just the past few years.
Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston MA, 02420, USA. dan.cox@tufts.edu
Daniel H
DH
Cox
D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism
D007473:Ion Channels; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium