Structure and function of the β subunit of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels

The voltage-gated Ca2+ channel beta subunit (Ca-v beta) is a cytosolic auxiliary subunit that plays an essential role in regulating the surface expression and gating properties of high-voltage activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels. It is also crucial for the modulation of HVA Ca2+ channels by G proteins, kinases, Ras-related RGK GTPases, and other proteins. There are indications that Ca-v beta may carry out Ca2+ channel-independent functions. Ca-v beta knockouts are either non-viable or result in a severe pathophysiology, and mutations in Ca-v beta have been implicated in disease. In this article, we review the structure and various biological functions of Ca-v beta as well as recent advances. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Calcium channels. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.