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Altered sodium channel function linked to heart failure
November 27, 2006The results of a study, using mice and heart muscle cells from rabbits, by researchers from Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany, have provided a potential molecular explanation for the abnormally rapid heartbeats known as ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTs) that can cause the sudden death associated with heart failure.
Individuals who inherit mutations in genes regulating the influx of sodium ions (Na+) into the muscle cells of the heart through Na+ channels are predisposed to life-threatening VTs. So, because a protein known as calmodulin regulates Na+ channel function, and expression and activity of the calmodulin effector CaMKII is upregulated in humans with heart failure, Maier and colleagues investigated the effect of CaMKII on Na+ channel function. In this study, which appears online on November 22 in advance of publication in the December print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, it was shown that overexpression of CaMKII in cultured heart muscle cells from rabbits and as a transgene in mice altered Na+ channel function. CaMKII mediated these effects by binding Na+ channel components and phosphorylating them. Importantly, mice overexpressing CaMKII were more susceptible to VTs than normal mice. These data lead the authors to suggest that CaMKII regulation of Na+ channel function might be a contributing factor to the onset of the potentially life-threatening VTs that are associated with heart failure.
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Heart Failure News and Current Heart Failure Events RSSComputed tomography provides anatomy -- we need ischemia!
Cardiac computed tomography has revolutionized cardiac imaging in recent years by providing exquisitely detailed cardiac anatomy, including, but not limited to, coronary anatomy.
Class of diabetes drugs carries significant cardiovascular risks
A class of oral drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may make heart failure worse, according to an editorial published online in Heart Wednesday by two Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty members.
Air pollution damages more than lungs: Heart and blood vessels suffer too
As athletes from around the world compete in the Beijing Olympics, many are on alert for respiratory problems caused by air pollution. They should also be concerned about its toxic effects on the heart and cardiovascular system, mounting research shows.
Large reservoir of mitochondrial DNA mutations identified in humans
Researchers at the University of Newcastle, England, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech in the United States have revealed a large reservoir of mitochondrial DNA mutations present in the general population.
Cardiac resynchromization: Race, age, geography matter, study shows
Race, age, and geography appear to play important roles in who receives cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), a proven treatment for some patients with heart failure, say researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
Want a reason to love your lower belly fat? It's rich in stem cells
Fat removed from the lower abdomen and inner thigh through liposuction was found to be an excellent source of stem cells, with higher stem cell concentrations than other areas of the body.
Exercise could be the heart's fountain of youth
Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but endurance exercise seems to make it younger. According to a study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, older people who did endurance exercise training for about a year ended up with metabolically much younger hearts.
New Guidelines for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
Proven combinations of medicines and the introduction of new anti-arthritis drugs have significantly improved the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to guidelines issued by the American College of Rheumatology and co-authored by physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Certain anticancer agents could be harmful to patients with heart disease
A set of promising new anticancer agents could have unforeseen risks in individuals with heart disease, suggests research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
New source of heart stem cells discovered
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston are continuing to document the heart's earliest origins. Now, they have pinpointed a new, previously unrecognized group of stem cells that give rise to cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells.
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