Cacng3, also known as gamma-3 subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channel, is involved in synaptic transmission, a crucial process for communication between neurons [1]. Genes encoding brain-expressed voltage-gated calcium channels, including Cacng3, may contribute to the genetic susceptibility of certain neurological disorders, highlighting its importance in neural function [2,4,5].

In glioma research, Cacng3 was expressed at low levels in the tumor group, and patients with low Cacng3 expression had shorter overall survival. Its expression was negatively associated with glioma grades, and it could serve as a biomarker for the mesenchymal molecular subtype. Functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that Cacng3 might affect glioma development by interfering with synaptic transmission. Also, temozolomide increased Cacng3 expression in a dose and time-dependent manner [1].

In childhood absence epilepsy, linkage and association analysis supported Cacng3 as a susceptibility locus in a subset of patients, though no putative causal coding variants were identified upon re-sequencing [2].

In age-related macular degeneration, Cacng3 was the best candidate for an AMD risk gene within the 16p12 linkage peak [3].

In conclusion, Cacng3 plays a vital role in synaptic transmission and is associated with multiple diseases, such as glioma, childhood absence epilepsy, and age-related macular degeneration. The study of Cacng3 through genetic analysis in these disease models helps to understand its role in disease pathogenesis, potentially providing new targets for diagnosis and treatment.