Cloning and Expression of a Novel Member of the Low Voltage-Activated T-Type Calcium Channel Family

Low voltage-activated Ca 2+ channels play important roles in pacing neuronal firing and producing network oscillations, such as those that occur during sleep and epilepsy. Here we describe the cloning and expression of the third member of the T-type family, α1I or Ca v T.3, from rat brain. Northern analysis indicated that it is predominantly expressed in brain. Expression of the cloned channel in either Xenopus oocytes or stably transfected...