CACNA1C encodes an alpha-1 subunit of a voltage-dependent calcium channel. Calcium channels mediate the influx of calcium ions into the cell upon membrane polarization. The alpha-1 subunit consists of 24 transmembrane segments and forms the pore through which ions pass into the cell. The calcium channel consists of a complex of alpha-1, alpha-2/delta, beta, and gamma subunits in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. There are multiple isoforms of each of these proteins, either encoded by different genes or the result of alternative splicing of transcripts. The protein encoded by CACNA1C binds to and is inhibited by dihydropyridine. Alternative splicing results in many transcript variants encoding different proteins.Synonyms: CACH2, CACN2, CACNL1A1, CCHL1A1, Calcium channel L type alpha-1 polypeptide isoform 1 cardiac muscle, Cav1.2, Voltage-dependent L-type calcium channel subunit alpha-1C, Voltage-gated calcium channel subunit alpha