T-type calcium channels: the never ending story.

T-type, or low-voltage-activated (LVA), tiny and transient Ca2+ currents pare more and more recognised as universal players in a plethora of cell functions and are also more and more connected to several diseases. This short introduction reviews the discovery of T-type Ca2+ channels, describes its basic properties and sketches its cloning and physiological impact. Finally, an overview is given how research on T-type Ca2+ channels has developed in the last years and in which topics it is branching out, a process, which is still ongoing.