Abstract
Voltage-gated ion channels are the key membrane proteins in the neural cells that underlie electrical signals, such as generation and propagation of action potentials, transmitter release, and synaptic integration. Voltage-gated ion channels consist of depolarization-activated groups with rigid ion permeabilities to sodium, calcium, and potassium, and hyperpolarization-activated group (HCN channel) that is permeable both to sodium and potassium. Each family of voltage-gated ion channel includes several genes that show distinct patterns of cell-specific expression and distinct subcellular localizations. Voltage-gated ion channels share common structure with six transmembrane segments. The first four transmembrane segments constitute the voltage-sensor domain (VSD) and the C-terminal two transmembrane segments provide pore domain. Recently, two novel voltage-sensor containing proteins were identified. VSP, voltage-sensing phosphatase, has the VSD and the phosphatase domain and shows voltage-dependent phosphoinositide phosphatase activity. VSOP/Hv1, which only consists of the VSD, exhibits activities of the voltage-gated proton channel. These suggest that voltage-evoked signals in the nervous system depend not only on voltage-gated ion channels but also on novel mechanisms that were previously unappreciated.
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Abbreviations
- Cav channel:
-
voltage-gated calcium channel
- EAG channel:
-
Ether-á-go-go channel
- HCN channel:
-
hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-modified channel
- Kv channel:
-
voltage-gated potassium channel
- Nav channel:
-
voltage-gated sodium channel
- S4:
-
segment 4
- VSD:
-
voltage-sensor domain
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Okamura, Y. (2009). Voltage-Gated Calcium Ion Channels and Novel Voltage Sensing Proteins. In: Lajtha, A., Mikoshiba, K. (eds) Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30370-3_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30370-3_22
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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