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Structure-Function Relationship of the Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Cav1.1 Complex

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Membrane Dynamics and Calcium Signaling

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 981))

Abstract

Voltage-gated calcium (Cav) channels are miniature membrane transistors that convert membrane electrical signals to intracellular Ca2+ transients that trigger many physiological events. In mammals, there are ten subtypes of Cav channel, among which Cav1.1 is the first Cavα1 to be cloned. Cav1.1 is specified for the excitation–contraction coupling of skeletal muscles, and has been a prototype in the structural investigations of Cav channels. This article summarized the recent advances in the structural elucidation of Cav1.1 and the mechanistic insights derived from the 3.6 Å structure obtained using single-particle, electron cryomicroscopy. The structure of the Cav1.1 complex established the framework for mechanistic understanding of excitation–contraction coupling and provides the template for molecular interpretations of the functions and disease mechanisms of Cav and Nav channels.

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Abbreviations

Cav:

Voltage-gated calcium channel

DHPR:

Dihydropyridine receptor

E-C coupling:

Excitation-contraction coupling

Nav:

Voltage-gated sodium channel

RyR:

Ryanodine receptor

TM:

Transmembrane

VGIC:

Voltage-gated ion channel

VSD:

Voltage sensing domain

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Jianping Wu, Nieng Yan & Zhen Yan

  2. Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Jianping Wu, Nieng Yan & Zhen Yan

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  1. Jianping Wu
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  2. Nieng Yan
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  3. Zhen Yan
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Correspondence to Zhen Yan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany

    Joachim Krebs

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Wu, J., Yan, N., Yan, Z. (2017). Structure-Function Relationship of the Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Cav1.1 Complex. In: Krebs, J. (eds) Membrane Dynamics and Calcium Signaling. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 981. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55858-5_2

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