Loss of the auxiliary αδ voltage-sensitive calcium channel subunit impairs bone formation and anabolic responses to mechanical loading.

Voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCCs) influence bone structure and function, including anabolic responses to mechanical loading. While the pore-forming (α) subunit of VSCCs allows Ca influx, auxiliary subunits regulate the biophysical properties of the pore. The αδ subunit influences gating kinetics of the α pore and enables mechanically induced signaling in osteocytes; however, the skeletal function of αδ in vivo remains unknown.