Definitions
Ion channel function refers to the opening of a transmembrane protein pore as a result of a stimulus, which causes the influx or efflux of ions to/from the cell. Specifically, voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) are more permeable to Ca2+ ions and the opening of the pore results from a change in membrane potential. A substantially higher extracellular concentration of Ca2+ and negative membrane potential inside the cell drive the rapid influx of Ca2+ through activated voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.
Prologue
The work described in this entry is the result of research by many investigators in the field, but outside of the referenced citations. These investigators are acknowledged as being crucial to the field. Unfortunately, as required by the publishers of this book, entries were only to cite up to ten review articles or book chapters. Consequently, it was not possible to give credit to those who actually performed...
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References
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Acknowledgements
Supported by NIH grants R01ES03299 and R25NS065777. The assistance with word processing and figure illustrations of Jessica Hauptman and Beth Anne Hill is greatly appreciated.
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Marrero-Rosado, B., Fox, S.M., Hannon, H.E., Atchison, W.D. (2013). Mercury and Lead, Effects on Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Function. In: Kretsinger, R.H., Uversky, V.N., Permyakov, E.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metalloproteins. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_308
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