title: CaVchannels and cancer: canonical functions indicate benefits of repurposed drugs as cancer therapeutics.
abstract: The importance of ion channels in the hallmarks of many cancers is increasingly recognised. This article reviews current knowledge of the expression of members of the voltage-gated calcium channel family (CaV) in cancer at the gene and protein level and discusses their potential functional roles. The ten members of the CaVchannel family are classified according to expression of their pore-forming α-subunit; moreover, co-expression of accessory α2δ, β and γ confers a spectrum of biophysical characteristics including voltage dependence of activation and inactivation, current amplitude and activation/inactivation kinetics. CaVchannels have traditionally been studied in excitable cells including neurones, smooth muscle, skeletal muscle and cardiac cells, and drugs targeting the channels are used in the treatment of hypertension and epilepsy. There is emerging evidence that several CaVchannels are differentially expressed in cancer cells compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, a number of CaVchannels also have non-canonical functions and are involved in transcriptional regulation of the expression of other proteins including potassium channels. Pharmacological studies show that CaVcanonical function contributes to the fundamental biology of proliferation, cell-cycle progression and apoptosis. This raises the intriguing possibility that calcium channel blockers, approved for the treatment of other conditions, could be repurposed to treat particular cancers. Further research will reveal the full extent of both the canonical and non-canonical functions of CaVchannels in cancer and whether calcium channel blockers are beneficial in cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7AE, UK.|National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology, School of Nursing and Human Science, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7AE, UK. k.mccloskey@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Karen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: McCloskey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D058492:Drug Repositioning / Q000379:methods*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels
keywords: Calcium channels; Cancer; Repurposed drugs