Ca2+ channel targeting in neuroendocrine cells

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Cells in the body communicate with one another by releasing chemicals that can excite or inhibit other cells. This communication can be very fast, as with the release of neurotransmitters from neurons in the brain, or it can be relatively slow, as with the release of hormones from neuroendocrine cells into the blood stream. Both types of release depend on the influx of calcium ions through pores or "channels" in the cell membrane. The function of calcium channels is therefore critical for intercellular communication. Specific mechanisms have evolved to send calcium channels to specific locations to perform their functions. We have found a new variant of a calcium channel in two types of neuroendocrine cells. This difference in channel structure may help to explain why release of neurotransmitters from neurons is fast, while release of neurohormones from neuroendocrine cells is relatively slow. We propose to do experiments to determine whether this calcium channel variant is found in other types of neuroendocrine cells and whether it is also found in neurons. We also propose to try to determine how this difference in structure changes the way the calcium channel variant works with the machinery that causes the release of chemical messengers. Our proposed experiments will therefore help us to understand the mechanisms by which cells release neurotransmitters and hormones.