ABSTRACT
The last few decades have elucidated many important roles voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) play in translating electrical signals in biology to mechanical and chemical signals through the secondary messenger calcium (Ca2+). VGCCs are diversely expressed and regulated across multiple physiological systems including the nervous, muscular, auditory, visual and digestive systems; and participating in cellular activities including neurotransmission, gene transcription, cell motility and cell growth as well as death. VGCCs also play noncanonical roles in non-excitable cells such as bone and immune cells. Dysfunction of VGCCs has long been associated with many cardiovascular, muscular, and neurological diseases, motivating identification and development of molecules targeting VGCCs as therapeutics. Increased accessibility of genomic sequencing has rapidly expanded the database of VGCC mutations associated with diseases. Understanding the mechanisms by which VGCC dysfunction leads to human diseases and how these channels might be targeted for effective therapy remain active research frontiers.
