Pathophysiological significance of T-type Ca2+ channels: transcriptional regulation of T-type Ca2+ channel--regulation of CACNA1H by neuron-restrictive silencer factor.

Expression of T-type Ca(2+) current in the ventricle varies during development and in cardiac diseases. The alteration in quantity of two isoforms of T-type Ca(2+) channel genes in the heart, CACNA1G and CACNA1H, contributes to the changes of T-type Ca(2+) channel activity. However, the precise mechanisms governing the transcription of T-type Ca(2+) channel genes remain largely unknown. In this review, we briefly describe our recent finding that a transcriptional repressor named neuron-restrictive silencer factor is a potent regulator of T-type Ca(2+) channel gene expression.