Project A3 - Anouar Belkacemi & Veit Flockerzi

CaVβ2- and CaVβ3-specific signal transduction

The CaVβ-subunits chaperon the α1 pore of high voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (CaVs) and modulate current properties. We showed that CaVβ2 is essential for the integrity of the photoreceptor synapse and that the CaVβ3 determines skin wound healing, bone mineralization and insulin sensitivity.

We hypothesize that these are CaV -independent functions of CaVβs. We will pursue studies to elucidate the underlying CaVβ-dependent mechanisms which may be related to primary cells like fibroblasts, dendritic cells, vascular endothelial cells, osteoclasts, osteoblasts and lymphocytes, which are devoid of functional voltage-gated Ca2+ entry but do express, as we have already shown, CaVβ2.