Primary structure and functional expression from complementary DNA of a brain calcium channel

Abstract
The primary structure of a voltage-dependent cal-cium channel from rabbit brain has been deduced by cloning and sequencing the complementary DNA. Calcium channel activity expressed from the cDNA is dramatically increased by coexpression of the α2 and β subunits, known to be associated with the dihydropyridine receptor. This channel is a high voltage-activated calcium channel that is insensitive both to nifedipine and to ω-conotoxin. We suggest that it is expressed predominantly in cerebellar Purkinje cells and granule cells.