Structure and regulation of L-type calcium channels - A current assessment of the properties and roles of channel subunits

L-type Ca channels ave complex heteromultimeric proteins that play important roles in the cardiovascular system. Recent studies have revealed new insights into how the pore-forming alpha(1) subunits interact with accessory subunits to produce functional Ca channels. The function of L-type Ca channels is often regulated by receptor-mediated signal transduction events that ave thought to result in the phosphorylation of proteins that comprise the Ca channels. Although the molecular events underlying phosphorylation based regulation have been intensely investigated with the use of electrophysiological approaches, surprisingly few details are known about the biochemical events involved and many questions remain unanswered. (C) 1996, Elsevier Science Inc.