PURPOSE This study examines the effect of the L-type calcium channel blocker verapamil on mechanical strain-induced extracellular matrix genes in optic nerve head lamina cribrosa (LC) cells. METHODS Changes in LC cell intracellular calcium [Ca(2+)]i following hypotonic cell membrane stretch were measured with the fluorescent probe fura-2/AM. Fluorescence intensity was measured, after labellin...

BACKGROUND The gene encoding the target of calcium channel blockers, the alpha1c-subunit of the L-type calcium channel (CACNA1C), has not been well characterized, and only small pharmacogenetic studies testing this gene have been published to date. METHODS AND RESULTS Resequencing of CACNA1C was performed followed by a nested case-control study of the INternational VErapamil SR/trandolapril S...