Leaky transmembrane channels could cause disruptions in normal heart function, reveal researchers in Canada. Unusual cardiac arrhythmias can occur due to ion leaks in mutant sodium channels, suggests the study.
Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels are responsible for mediating an "action potential" in muscle cells that leads to contraction. Nav1.5 is the primary Nav channel expressed in the muscle cells of the heart, and Nav1.5 mutations that disrupt its function are associated with many well-defined cardiac arrhythmias. Recent studies have linked two Nav1.5 mutations (R222Q and R225W) to an unusual group of arrhythmias that are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood efficiently.
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Oddly enough, the two mutant channels have opposite effects on channel function, with one expected to promote premature firing of the action potential and the other expected to interfere with action potential initiation. It's therefore unclear how they could be linked to similar cardiac pathologies.
In search of a unifying mechanism, Mohamed Chahine and colleagues in Quebec City investigated the properties of the mutant channels. Voltage-gated channels contain four segments called voltage sensor domains (VSDs), which are typically nonconductive and distinct from the regions that make up the channel pore; the R222Q and R225W mutations are both located on one of these VSDs. During initiation of the cardiac action potential, however, when the negative internal charge of the cell becomes positive so that the cell becomes "depolarized", the researchers found that both mutations caused the VSD assume a conformation that created an abnormal pathway allowing positively charged ions to pass through this normally nonconductive region. Moreover, the VSD seemed to become immobilized following depolarizations comparable in length to the cardiac action potential instead of returning to resting position, allowing charged sodium ions to continue leaking into the cell.
![Palpitations And Arrhythmias]( "Palpitations And Arrhythmias")
Chahine and colleagues think that the resulting overload of sodium ions within the cell could contribute to disruptions in normal cardiac function. And because the ion leak is the only property common to both mutations, their findings suggest that it could be a key mechanism linking them-and possibly other Nav1.5 mutations in the VSD-to the atypical group of arrhythmias mixed with dilated cardiomyopathy.
About The Journal of General Physiology
Founded in 1918, The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) is published by The Rockefeller University Press. All editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted are made by active scientists in conjunction with our in-house scientific editor. JGP content is posted to PubMed Central, where it is available to the public for free six months after publication. Authors retain copyright of their published works and third parties may reuse the content for non-commercial purposes under a creative commons license.
Research reported in the press release was supported by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the National Science Foundation.
Source: Newswise
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Chahine and colleagues think that the resulting overload of sodium ions within the cell could contribute to disruptions in normal cardiac function. And because the ion leak is the only property common to both mutations, their findings suggest that it could be a key mechanism linking them-and possibly other Nav1.5 mutations in the VSD-to the atypical group of arrhythmias mixed with dilated cardiomyopathy.
About The Journal of General Physiology
Founded in 1918, The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) is published by The Rockefeller University Press. All editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted are made by active scientists in conjunction with our in-house scientific editor. JGP content is posted to PubMed Central, where it is available to the public for free six months after publication. Authors retain copyright of their published works and third parties may reuse the content for non-commercial purposes under a creative commons license.
Research reported in the press release was supported by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the National Science Foundation.
Source: Newswise
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