Functional tuning of Vascular L-type Ca2+ channels

Abstract

Vascular smooth muscle contraction is intimately tied to membrane potential and the rise in intracellular Ca²⁺ enabled by the opening of L-type Ca²⁺ channels. While voltage is often viewed as the single critical factor gating these channels, research is starting to reveal a more intricate scenario whereby their function is markedly tuned. This emerging concept will be the focus of this three-part review, the first part articulating the mechanistic foundation of contractile development in vascular smooth muscle. Part two will extend this foundational knowledge, introducing readers to functional coupling and how neighboring L-type Ca²⁺ channels work cooperatively through signaling protein complexes, to facilitate their open probability. The final aspect of this review will discuss the impact of L-type Ca²⁺ channel trafficking, a process tied to cytoskeleton dynamics. Cumulatively, this brief manuscript provides new insight into how voltage, along with channel cooperativity and number, work in concert to tune Ca²⁺ responses and smooth muscle contraction.

Keywords: Ca2+ sensitization; L-type Ca2+ channels; channel trafficking; cooperative gating; functional coupling; vascular smooth muscle.