Cardiac voltage-gated calcium and potassium channels

Cardiac voltage-gated calcium and potassium channels are a diverse group of transmembrane proteins that orchestrate the electrical activity of the heart by regulating the flow of Ca2+ and K+ ions. Voltage-gated calcium channels, primarily the L-type (CaV1.2), are essential for the plateau phase of the action potential and the initiation of cardiac contraction through excitation-contraction coupling (StatPearls, 2023). Voltage-gated potassium channels, such as hERG (IKr) and KCNQ1 (IKs), are responsible for the repolarization of the myocardium, returning the cell to its resting membrane potential (UniProt, 2024). Malfunction of these channels, caused by genetic mutations or pharmacological interference, can lead to severe cardiac arrhythmias, including Long QT Syndrome and Brugada Syndrome (PubMed, 2022). These channels are major therapeutic targets for antiarrhythmic and antihypertensive medications, but they also pose significant safety risks, as off-target inhibition (particularly of the hERG channel) can lead to fatal arrhythmias. This entry is considered incorrect as a single target because it combines multiple distinct protein families and gene products into a broad functional category.

Other names

Cardiac ion channelsVoltage-gated cardiac ion channelsCardiac Ca2+ and K+ channels

Inhibition of ion conductance through the pore-forming subunits of voltage-gated calcium or potassium channels, thereby modulating the cardiac action potential duration, conduction velocity, and refractory period (StatPearls, 2023).