The dawn of high-resolution structure for the queen of ion channels

Ca²⁺ channels are comprised of a main pore-forming α₁ subunit, complexed with β, α₂δ, and γ subunits. Unlike a growing number of smaller ion channels, no atomic-level structures of Ca²⁺ channels have been resolved thus far. In this issue of Neuron, Opatowsky and colleagues report the crystal structure of a Ca²⁺ channel β subunit, which draws together a recent wave of seminal reports on the structural organization of these essential molecules.