Lory Philippe, Chemin Jean
Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Département de Physiologie, CNRS UMR 5203, INSERM U661, IFR3, Universités de Montpellier I and II, Montpellier cedex 05, France.
Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2007 May;11(5):717-22. doi: 10.1517/14728222.11.5.717.
Despite their presence in many tissues and their potential implication in various disease states, low-voltage activated T-type calcium channels (T-channels) have only recently become targets of interest. Unfortunately, the lack of selective T-channel blockers has hampered further characterisation of these channels. The recent availability of cloned T-channels, the Ca(V)3 proteins, facilitates identification of novel T-channel blockers. Also, studies performed in knockout animals have fostered novel interest. Selective inhibition of T-channels may have clinical importance in cardiovascular diseases, some forms of epilepsy, sleep disorders, pain and possibly cancer. This review focuses on novel research approaches to discover potent and selective T-channel modulators. These molecules may be potential drugs for treating human diseases, as well as important tools to decipher the physiological role of these channels.
尽管低电压激活的T型钙通道（T通道）存在于许多组织中，并可能与多种疾病状态有关，但直到最近它们才成为人们感兴趣的靶点。不幸的是，缺乏选择性T通道阻滞剂阻碍了对这些通道的进一步研究。最近克隆出的T通道即Ca(V)3蛋白，有助于鉴定新型T通道阻滞剂。此外，在基因敲除动物身上进行的研究也引发了新的关注。选择性抑制T通道可能在心血管疾病、某些形式的癫痫、睡眠障碍、疼痛以及可能的癌症中具有临床意义。这篇综述聚焦于发现强效和选择性T通道调节剂的新研究方法。这些分子可能是治疗人类疾病的潜在药物，也是解读这些通道生理作用的重要工具。
