title: Transcriptional regulation of voltage-gated Ca2+channels.
abstract: The transcriptional regulation of voltage-gated Ca2+(CaV) channels is an emerging research area that promises to improve our understanding of how many relevant physiological events are shaped in the central nervous system, the skeletal muscle and other tissues. Interestingly, a picture of how transcription of CaVchannel subunit genes is controlled is evolving with the identification of the promoter regions required for tissue-specific expression and the identification of transcription factors that control their expression. These promoters share several characteristics that include multiple transcriptional start sites, lack of a TATA box and the presence of elements conferring tissue-selective expression. Likewise, changes in CaVchannel expression occur throughout development, following ischaemia, seizures or chronic drug administration. This review focuses on insights achieved regarding the control of CaVchannel gene expression. To further understand the complexities of expression and to increase the possibilities of detecting CaVchannel alterations causing human disease, a deeper knowledge on the structure of the 5' upstream regions of the genes encoding these remarkable proteins will be necessary.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Molecular e Histocompatibilidad, Hospital General 'Dr. Manuel Gea González', Secretaría de Salud, Ciudad de México, México.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: González-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN), Ciudad de México, México.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Felix
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels
keywords: Ca2+ channels; CaV channels; promoter; transcription factors