EXOCYTOTIC CA2+ CHANNELS IN MAMMALIAN CENTRAL NEURONS

Intracellular Ca2+ initiates physiological events as diverse as gene t ranscription, muscle con- traction, cell division and exocytosis. Pred ictably, the metabolic machinery that elicits and responds to changes in intracellular Ca2+ is correspondingly heterogeneous. This review fo cuses on one element of this complex web that is of particular importa nce to neurobiologists: identifying which members of the voltage-depen dent Ca2+-channel superfamily are responsible for the Ca2+ that enters nerve terminals and elicits vesicular release of chemical transmitter s.