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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Determination of the Relative Cell Surface and Total Expression of Recombinant Ion Channels Using Flow Cytometry
Published on: September 28, 2016
Calcium channel gamma subunits: a functionally diverse protein family
Ren-Shiang Chen1, Tzyy-Chyn Deng, Thomas Garcia
1Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 524 Burrill Hall, 407 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Abstract:
The calcium channel gamma subunits comprise an eight-member protein family that share a common topology consisting of four transmembrane domains and intracellular N- and C-termini. Although the first gamma subunit was identified as an auxiliary subunit of a voltage-dependent calcium channel, a review of phylogenetic, bioinformatic, and functional studies indicates that they are a functionally diverse protein family. A cluster containing gamma1 and gamma6 conforms to the original description of the protein family as they seem to act primarily as subunits of calcium channels expressed in muscle. Members of a second cluster (gamma2, gamma3, gamma4, gamma8) function as regulators of AMPA receptor localization and function in the brain and are collectively known as TARPs. The function of members of the third cluster (gamma5, gamma7) remains unclear. Our analysis shows that the members of each cluster contain conserved regulatory motifs that help to differentiate the groups. However, the physiological significance of these motifs in many cases remains to be demonstrated.
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