page_title: Cav1.2
section_title: Regulation
hierarchical_section_title: Cav1.2 / Regulation
caption_attribution_description: English: Clustering of two Cav1.2 channels
context_page_description: Calcium channel, voltage-dependent, L type, alpha 1C subunit is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CACNA1C gene. Caᵥ1.2 is a subunit of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel.
context_section_description: The activity of CaV1.2 channels is tightly regulated by the Ca²⁺ signals they produce. An increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration implicated in Cav1.2 facilitation, a form of positive feedback called Ca²⁺-dependent facilitation, that amplifies Ca²⁺ influx. In addition, increasing influx intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration has implicated to exert the opposite effect Ca2+ dependent inactivation. These activation and inactivation mechanisms both involve Ca²⁺ binding to calmodulin (CaM) in the IQ domain in the C-terminal tail of these channels. Cav1.2 channels are arranged in cluster of eight, on average, in the cell membrane. When calcium ions bind to calmodulin, which in turn binds to a Cav1.2 channel, it allows the Cav1.2 channels within a cluster to interact with each other. This results in channels working cooperatively when they open at the same time to allow more calcium ions to enter and then close together to allow the cell to relax.
caption: Due to simplicity only two Calcium channels are shown to depict clustering. When depolarization occurs, calcium ions flow through the channel and some bind to Calmodulin. The Calcium/Calmodulin binding to the C-terminal pre-IQ domain of the Cav1.2 channel promotes interaction between channels that are beside each other.
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