T-Type Calcium Channels Facilitate Insulin Secretion by Enhancing General Excitability in the Insulin-Secreting β-Cell Line, INS-1*

The present study addresses the function of T-type voltage-gated calcium channels in insulin-secreting cells. We used whole-cell voltage and current recordings, capacitance measurements, and RIA techniques to determine the contribution of T-type calcium channels in modulation of electrical activity and in stimulus-secretion coupling in a rat insulin secreting cell line, INS-1. By employing a double pulse protocol in the current-clamp mode, we...