Receptor-mediated pathways that modulate calcium channels

Voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels are ubiquitous regulators of Ca2+-dependent cellular functions. In light of this, it is perhaps not surprising that nature has devised a complex web of G protein-coupled regulatory pathways that appear to tune Ca2+ channel function appropriately for given physiological demands. We are beginning to identify the molecular components of these pathways and to discover ways of altering them experimentally. Ultimately, it is likely that unique features of each pathway can be exploited to evaluate the physiological roles they play and to determine how they interact with one another as well as with other signaling pathways in cells. (C) 1998 Academic Press.