Abstract
Although voltage-activated Ca2+ channels are a common feature in excitable cells, their expression in cancer tissue is less understood. T-type Ca2+ channels are particularly overexpressed in various cancers. Because of their activation profile at membrane potentials close to rest and the generation of a window current, T-type Ca2+ channels may regulate a variety of Ca2+-dependent cellular processes, including cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. The expression of T-type Ca2+ channels is of special interest as a target for therapeutic interventions.
Highlights
T-type Ca2+ channels can be found in cells throughout the body, including neurons, myocardial cells, and muscle cells [1,2,3]
T-type Ca2+ channel mRNA, protein, and functional expression has been investigated in various cancer cell lines, as well as tumor tissue samples
The functional expression refers to the presence of T-type Ca2+ channels on the membrane as the result of protein trafficking and its ability to allow the flow of extracellular Ca2+, which can be assessed by whole cell recordings (Table 1)
Summary
T-type Ca2+ channels can be found in cells throughout the body, including neurons, myocardial cells, and muscle cells [1,2,3]. T-type Ca2+ channels can have activation and inactivation over similar voltage ranges They have a window current where they can open, but not inactivate completely, resulting in significant Ca2+ entry at membrane potentials near rest [4]. The functional expression refers to the presence of T-type Ca2+ channels on the membrane as the result of protein trafficking and its ability to allow the flow of extracellular Ca2+ , which can be assessed by whole cell recordings (Table 1). This is an important consideration when attempting to understand the role of T-type Ca2+ channels in cancer progression. Both molecular and functional expression may be regulated by a variety of factors [31,36]
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