Voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) are large (>400 kDa) heteromers which contain, minimally, three core subunits alpha1, alpha2/delta, beta in a 1:1:1 stoichiometry. Expression of VDCC gene products in Xenopus oocytes, or transfected cells shows that the alpha1 subunits contain the ion channel pore while the auxiliary alpha2/delta and beta subunits confer optimal cell surface expression and channel kinetics1. Until recently, the only exception to the above paradigm was the skeletal muscle VDCC, which, in addition to the alpha1, alpha2/delta, beta core motif, also has an additional tightly associated integral membrane glycoprotein subunit termed gamma 1. Upon co-expression with the alpha1.1, alpha2/delta1, beta1a subunits of the skeletal muscle VDCC, gamma subunits alter the peak currents, and the kinetics of channel activation and inactivation with the overall effect being a normalisation of currents to those resembling the endogenous channel2. Together, these results suggest that gamma subunits modulate skeletal muscle VDCCs by stabilising their conformation. The gamma 2 subunits, or stargazin, the product of a gene mutated in the stargazer mouse, is a homolog of the gamma 1 channel and is selectively expressed in the brain. It is considered to be a putative neuronal Ca2+ channel subtype mainly based on its homology to the gamma 1.Synonyms: Neuronal voltage-gated calcium channel gamma-2 subunit, TARP gamma-2, Transmembrane AMPAR regulatory protein gamma-2, Voltage-dependent calcium channel gamma-2 subunit