Gene regulation by voltage-dependent calcium channels

Ca2+ is the most widely used second messenger in cell biology and fulfills a plethora of essential cell functions. One of the most exciting findings of the last decades was the involvement of Ca2+ in the regulation of long-term cell adaptation through its ability to control gene expression. This finding provided a link between cell excitation and gene expression. In this review, we chose to focus on the role of voltage-dependent calcium channels in mediating gene expression in response to membrane depolarization. We illustrate the different pathways by which these channels are involved in excitation–transcription coupling, including the most recent Ca2+ ion-independent strategies that highlight the transcription factor role of calcium channels.