BackgroundInformation | Stargazinbelongstoagroupcalledvoltagegatedcalciumchannels(VGCCs)whicharepresentinmostexcitablecells.StargazinisthoughttostABIlizethecalciumchannelinaninactivated(closed)state. Therearefivehighvoltageactivatedcalciumchanneltypes(L,N,P,Q,andR)andonelowvoltageactivatedchanneltype(T).Eachofthesechannelsexistsasaheteromultimerofa1,b,a2/dandgsubunitswiththevoltageactivatedcalciumchannelfunctioncarriedbytheasubunits.VGCCsexertspatialandtemporalcontrolovercellularcalciumconcentrationsandservetomodulateneurotransmitterrelease,hormonesecretion,musclecontraction,electricalactivity,cellmetabolismandproliferation,geneexpression,andneuronalsurvival. |