Description
Product Characteristics: FUNCTION: The alpha-2/delta subunit of voltage-dependent calcium channels regulates calcium current density and activation/inactivation kinetics of the calcium channel. Acts as a regulatory subunit for P/Q-type calcium channel (CACNA1A), N-type (CACNA1B), L-type (CACNA1C OR CACNA1D) and possibly T-type (CACNA1G). Overexpression induces apoptosis. Defects in Cacna2d2 are the cause of ducky phenotype (du). Du mice have spike-wave seizures characteristic of absence epilepsy and ataxia, with accompanying decreased calcium channel current in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Subcellular location: Membrane, Single-pass type I membrane protein Tissue specificity: Predominantly present in cerebellar cortex. Present in various lung tumor cell lines, while it is absent in normal lung (at protein level). Highly expressed in heart, lung, testis, pancreas and skeletal muscle. Also expressed in kidney, liver, placenta and brain. Miscellaneous: Binds gabapentin, an antiepileptic drug.,Alpha-2/delta Subunit,Voltage-dependent calcium channel subunit alpha-2/delta-2, Voltage-gated calcium channel subunit alpha-2/delta-2
Target Information: This gene encodes a member of the alpha-2/delta subunit family, a protein in the voltage-dependent calcium channel complex. Calcium channels mediate the influx of calcium ions into the cell upon membrane polarization and consist of a complex of alpha-1, alpha-2/delta, beta, and gamma subunits in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. Various versions of each of these subunits exist, either expressed from similar genes or the result of alternative splicing. Research on a highly similar protein in rabbit suggests the protein described in this record is cleaved into alpha-2 and delta subunits. Alternate transcriptional splice variants of this gene, encoding different isoforms, have been characterized. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]