Structural implications in the function of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels.

The calcium channels play a key role in controlling many physiological processes in the body. Voltage dependent calcium channels have been extensively characterized in terms of their electrophysiological and pharmacological properties. The L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel is composed of several subunits, from which the alpha 1 subunit is the most important. Recent interest has been focused more on the functional implication of the subunit structures and/or their parts. Therefore, this review will concentrate on the structure-functional studies of the voltage-dependent calcium channel rather than on the progress in the study of their structure and tissue specificity.