Control of Functional Targeting of Cav1.2 Channels by the γ6

γ6 subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels is expressed in the heart and in the brain. It modulates gating of T-type channels (Hansen et al., 2004; Lin et al., 2008). It also associates with CaV1.2 channels and enhances their inactivation in the presence of the β1b, but not β2b, subunit (Yang et al., 2010).We found that γ6 subunit dramatically reduces the number of functional α1/β2a channels expressed in tsA-201 cells. Channels with the γ6 are trapped in the Golgi complex. Deletions of N-termini of α1 and γ6 subunits restore functional targeting to the plasma membrane.We propose that the γ6 regulates functional expression of CaV1.2 channels by interacting with the pore-forming α1 subunit or with another protein in the complex.