Description
Product Characteristics: Calcium channel CaV3.1 (a1G) is a low-voltage-activated T-type calcium channel. Such T-type channels are expressed throughout the body. In the heart, they may be involved in pacemaker current. In neurons, these channels may play a secondary pacemaker role (1). With the ubiquitous expression, it is not surprising that alterations in channel function have been implicated in disease. Drugs that act to block T-type calcium channels are used as anti-hypertensives, antiepileptic's, and blocking of T-type calcium channels may be involved in the action of some anesthetics and antipsychotics as well (1). Much remains to be determined about the precise cellular localization, in vivo physiological roles, roles in disease states and possible routes to modulate their structure/function to ameliorate effects of disease.
Target Information: Voltage-sensitive calcium channels mediate the entry of calcium ions into excitable cells, and are also involved in a variety of calcium-dependent processes, including muscle contraction, hormone or neurotransmitter release, gene expression, cell motility, cell division, and cell death. This gene encodes a T-type, low-voltage activated calcium channel. The T-type channels generate currents that are both transient, owing to fast inactivation, and tiny, owing to small conductance. T-type channels are thought to be involved in pacemaker activity, low-threshold calcium spikes, neuronal oscillations and resonance, and rebound burst firing. Many alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2011]