Functional importance of T-type voltage-gated @entity460 channels in the XXXX : news from the world of knockout @entity19 .

@entity30587 @entity19 @entity1283 @entity1504 @entity460 @entity5530 @entity65 @entity8233
UNASSIGNED: Over the years, it has been discussed whether T-type @entity460 channels @entity30587 play a role in the @entity65 . T-type channels have been reported to play an important role in renal hemodynamics, contractility of resistance vessels, and pacemaker activity in the heart. However, the lack of highly specific blockers cast doubt on the conclusions. As new T-type channel antagonists are being designed, the roles of T-type channels in cardiovascular and renal pathology need to be elucidated before T-type blockers can be clinically useful. Two types of T-type channels, @entity30587 .1 and @entity5530 , are expressed in blood vessels, the kidney, and the heart. Studies with gene-deficient @entity19 have provided a way to investigate the @entity30587 .1 and @entity5530 channels and their role in the cardiovascular system. This review discusses the results from these knockout @entity19 . Evaluation of the literature leads to the conclusion that @entity30587 .1 and @entity5530 channels have important, but different, functions in @entity19 . T-type @entity30587 .1 channels affect heart rate, whereas @entity5530 channels are involved in @entity1283 . In the vascular system, @entity5530 activation leads to dilation of blood vessels, whereas @entity30587 .1 channels are mainly suggested to affect constriction. The @entity30587 .1 channel is also involved in @entity8233 following @entity1504 . In the kidney, @entity30587 .1 regulates plasma flow and @entity5530 plays a role setting glomerular filtration rate. In conclusion, @entity30587 .1 and @entity5530 are new therapeutic targets in several cardiovascular pathologies, but the use of T-type blockers should be specifically directed to the disease and to the channel subtype.
