CACNB2: An Emerging Pharmacological Target for Hypertension, Heart Failure, Arrhythmia and Mental Disorders

Title:CACNB2: An Emerging Pharmacological Target for Hypertension, Heart Failure, Arrhythmia and Mental Disorders

Volume: 8

Author(s): Nikolai M. Soldatov

Affiliation:

Keywords: Ca_v1.2 calcium channel, Ca_vβ subunits, CACNB2, heart failure, hypertension, mental disorders.

Abstract: The voltage-gated Ca_v1.2 calcium channels respond to membrane depolarization by increasing the membrane permeability to Ca²⁺, a major signal for cardiac muscle contraction, regulation of vascular tone and CREB-dependent transcriptional activation. CACNB2 is one of the four homologous genes coding for the auxiliary Ca_vβ subunits, which are important modulators of the Ca²⁺ channel activity. Five serious mental disorders - autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia, - and three major cardiovascular diseases - hypertension, heart failure and sudden cardiac death, - have recently been linked to the CACNB2 gene coding for the Ca_vβ₂ subunits. Here I will focus on the Ca_vβ₂-specific molecular determinant β₂-CED as an emerging pharmacological target.

Cite this article as:

Soldatov M. Nikolai, CACNB2: An Emerging Pharmacological Target for Hypertension, Heart Failure, Arrhythmia and Mental Disorders, Current Molecular Pharmacology 2015; 8 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874467208666150507093258