Closed-state inactivation and pore-blocker modulation mechanisms of human CaV2.2
By Yanli Dong, Yiwei Gao, Shuai Xu, Yuhang Wang, Zhuoya Yu, Yue Li, Bin Li, Tian Yuan, Bei Yang, Xuejun Cai Zhang, Daohua Jiang, Zhuo Huang, and Yan Zhao Excerpt from the article published in Cell Reports, Volume 37, Issue 5, 2021, 109931, ISSN 2211-1247 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109931 Editor’s Highlights N-type voltage-gated calcium (CaV) channels mediate Ca2+ influx at presynaptic […]
Continue ReadingThe Calcium Channel α2δ1 Subunit: Interactional Targets in Primary Sensory Neurons and Role in Neuropathic Pain
By Wenqiang Cui, Hongyun Wu, Xiaowen Yu, Ting Song, Xiangqing Xuan, and Fei Xu Excerpt from the article published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, volume 15, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.699731 Editor’s Highlights In the human genome, four α2δ proteins (α2δ1–α2δ4) are encoded by four genes (CACNA2D1–CACNA2D4), respectively. The upregulated expression of CACNA2D1 contributed to neuronal excitability and neurotransmission. […]
Continue ReadingAstrocyte-Neuron Signaling in Synaptogenesis
By Lili Shan, Tongran Zhang, Kevin Fan, Weibo Cai, and Huisheng Liu Excerpt from the article published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 2021; 9: 680301, 2021 Jul 2. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.680301 Editor’s Highlights Synapses are the fundamental units in building the entire neural network, through which signals are transferred from pre-synaptic neurons to post-synaptic cells in a […]
Continue ReadingMore than a pore: How voltage-gated calcium channels act on different levels of neuronal communication regulation
By Esperanza Mata-Martínez, Claudia Sánchez-Cárdenas, Julio C. Chávez, Adán Guerrero, Claudia L. Treviño, Gabriel Corkidi, Fernando Montoya, Paul Hernandez-Herrera, Mariano G. Buffone, Paula A. Balestrini, and Alberto Darszon. Excerpt from the article published in Biosystems 209, pages 104524 (2021). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/19336950.2021.1900024 Editor’s Highlights The diversity of calcium channel phenotypes is strongly increased by the association of the auxiliary subunits β, α2δ, and γ as well as many other […]
Continue ReadingPresynaptic α2δ subunits are key organizers of glutamatergic synapses
By Clemens L. Schöpf, Cornelia Ablinger, Stefanie M. Geisler, Ruslan I. Stanika, Marta Campiglio, Walter A. Kaufmann, Benedikt Nimmervoll, Bettina Schlick, Johannes Brockhaus, Markus Missler, Ryuichi Shigemoto, and Gerald J. Obermair Excerpt from the article published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) March 29, 2021 | 118 (14) e1920827118 | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920827118 Editor’s […]
Continue ReadingGlioma-Derived TSP2 Promotes Excitatory Synapse Formation and Results in Hyperexcitability in the Peritumoral Cortex of Glioma
By Yao-Hui Wang, Tian-Lan Huang, Xin Chen, Si-Xun Yu, Wei Li, Tao Chen, Yang Li, Yong-Qin Kuang, and Hai-Feng Shu Excerpt from the article published in Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, Volume 80, Issue 2, February 2021, Pages 137–149, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlaa149 Editor’s Highlights Seizures are common in patients with brain tumors. The risk of epilepsy development is […]
Continue ReadingSex-specific Effects of α2δ-1 in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus of Female Mice Controlling Glucose and Lipid Balance
By Jennifer A Felsted, Alice Meng, Dominique Ameroso, and Maribel Rios Excerpt from the article published in Endocrinology, Volume 161, Issue 7, July 2020, bqaa068, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqaa068 Editor’s Highlights The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) plays a well-established role in appetite and body weight regulation as well as in glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Diverse leptin-induced, leptin-inhibited, and […]
Continue ReadingRegulation of the Ca2+ channel α2δ-1 subunit expression by epidermal growth factor via the ERK/ELK-1 signaling pathway
By Paz Duran, Alejandro Sandoval, Ricardo González-Ramírez, Natanael Zarco, and Ricardo Felix Excerpt from the article published in American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism 2020 319:1, E232-E244 02 JUL 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00007.2020 Editor’s Highlights CaVα2δ-1 auxiliary subunit has been shown to increase the cell-surface expression of HVA CaV channels, it is reasonable to suggest that epidermal growth factor (EGF) may […]
Continue ReadingAuxiliary α2δ1 and α2δ3 Subunits of Calcium Channels Drive Excitatory and Inhibitory Neuronal Network Development
By Arthur Bikbaev, Anna Ciuraszkiewicz-Wojciech, Jennifer Heck, Oliver Klatt, Romy Freund, Jessica Mitlöhner, Sara Enrile Lacalle, Miao Sun, Daniele Repetto, Renato Frischknecht, Cornelia Ablinger, Astrid Rohlmann, Markus Missler, Gerald J. Obermair, Valentina Di Biase and Martin Heine Excerpt from the article published in Journal of Neuroscience 17 June 2020, 40 (25) 4824-4841; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1707-19.2020 Highlights This study provides support for the reported association of the α2δ1 coding region (CACNA2D1) and the α2δ3 coding region (CACNA2D3) genetic aberrations with autism and the […]
Continue ReadingDirect, gabapentin-insensitive interaction of a soluble form of the calcium channel subunit α2δ-1 with thrombospondin-4
By Ehab El-Awaad, Galyna Pryymachuk, Cora Fried, Jan Matthes, Jörg Isensee, Tim Hucho, Wolfram F. Neiss, Mats Paulsson, Stefan Herzig, Frank Zaucke, and Markus Pietsch Excerpt from the article published in Scientific Reports 9, 16272 (2019), Published 07 November 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52655-y Editor’s Highlights Thrombospondins (TSPs) form a family of five large oligomeric extracellular matrix glycoproteins […]
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