Structure and Neural Modulation of Cardiac Calcium Channels

Regulation of Cardiac Ca Channels . The L‐type, voltage‐gated calcium (Ca) current plays a key role in excitation and initiation of contraction in cardiac muscle cells and is partly responsible for the plateau of the action potential. The ionic channels underlying this current are targets for modulation by the autonomic nervous system. This article reviews recent developments in understanding how these channels are regulated by phosphorylation and G proteins and attempts to relate these findings to recent studies on the molecular structure of the Ca channel.