Insulin secretion gene

Voltage-activated Ca " channels are activated by membrane depolarization and represent a large family of related channels with a wide tissue distribution. They are found ubiquitously in neurons, muscles, and endocrine cells as well as in many epithelial and endothelial cells. In addition to neurotransmitter release, they mediate a variety of essential functions in the body including muscle contraction, insulin secretion, gene expression, modulation of signal transduction events and in excess can cause cell death. 

More recent analysis of tissue specific gene deletions showed that the Cav1.2 channel is involved in a wide variety of function including hippocampal learning, insulin secretion, intestine and bladder motility. Further analysis will be required to unravel the functional significance of voltage-dependent calcium channels for specific cellular functions. 

Sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) Sulfonylurea (tolbutamide) Decreased tolbutamide-stimulated insulin secretion in healthy subjects with sequence variants in the high-affinity sulfonylurea receptor gene (94) Susceptibility to type II diabetes (95)... 

Hughes, J. H., Colca, J. R., Easom, R. A., Turk, J., and McDaniel, M. L. (1990a). Interleukin 1 inhibits insulin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets by a process that requires gene transcription and mRNA translation. J. Clin. Invest. 86, 856-863. 

---