Atrium-specific ion channels in the zebrafish-A role of IKACh in atrial repolarization

2018 ◽  
Vol 223 (3) ◽  
pp. e13049 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Skarsfeldt ◽  
S. H. Bomholtz ◽  
P. R. Lundegaard ◽  
A. Lopez-Izquierdo ◽  
M. Tristani-Firouzi ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Stefan Gründer

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are proton-gated Na+ channels. Being almost ubiquitously present in neurons of the vertebrate nervous system, their precise function remained obscure for a long time. Various animal toxins that bind to ASICs with high affinity and specificity have been tremendously helpful in uncovering the role of ASICs. We now know that they contribute to synaptic transmission at excitatory synapses as well as to sensing metabolic acidosis and nociception. Moreover, detailed characterization of mouse models uncovered an unanticipated role of ASICs in disorders of the nervous system like stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pathological pain. This review provides an overview on the expression, structure, and pharmacology of ASICs plus a summary of what is known and what is still unknown about their physiological functions and their roles in diseases.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 730-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saikat Saha ◽  
Keka Talukdar ◽  
Amit K. Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  

2014 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 151a
Author(s):  
Sagar Chittori ◽  
Janesh Kumar ◽  
Suvendu Lomash ◽  
Huaying Zhao ◽  
Peter Schuck ◽  
...  

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 1381-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changhai Cu ◽  
Robert Bähring ◽  
Mark L. Mayer

2018 ◽  
Vol 150 (8) ◽  
pp. 1059-1061
Author(s):  
Jonathan T. Pierce

The role of ion channels in cell excitability was first revealed in a series of voltage clamp experiments by Hodgkin and Huxley in the 1950s. However, it was not until the 1970s that patch-clamp recording ushered in a revolution that allowed physiologists to witness how ion channels flicker open and closed at angstrom scale and with microsecond resolution. The unexpectedly tight seal made by the patch pipette in the whole-cell configuration later allowed molecular biologists to suck up the insides of identified cells to unveil their unique molecular contents. By refining these techniques, researchers have scrutinized the surface and contents of excitable cells in detail over the past few decades. However, these powerful approaches do not discern which molecules are responsible for the dynamic control of the genesis, abundance, and subcellular localization of ion channels. In this dark territory, teams of unknown and poorly understood molecules guide specific ion channels through translation, folding, and modification, and then they shuttle them toward and away from distinct membrane domains via different subcellular routes. A central challenge in understanding these processes is the likelihood that these diverse regulatory molecules may be specific to ion channel subtypes, cell types, and circumstance. In work described in this issue, Bai et al. (2018. J. Gen. Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.201812025) begin to shed light on the biogenesis of UNC-103, a K+ channel found in Caenorhabditis elegans.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (4) ◽  
pp. H1334-H1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. Lamberts ◽  
M. H. P. van Rijen ◽  
P. Sipkema ◽  
P. Fransen ◽  
S. U. Sys ◽  
...  

The role of stretch-activated ion channels (SACs) in coronary perfusion-induced increase in cardiac contractility was investigated in isolated isometrically contracting perfused papillary muscles from Wistar rats. A brief increase in perfusion pressure (3–4 s, perfusion pulse, n = 7), 10 repetitive perfusion pulses ( n = 4), or a sustained increase in perfusion pressure (150–200 s, perfusion step, n = 7) increase developed force by 2.7 ± 1.1, 7.7 ± 2.2, and 8.3 ± 2.5 mN/mm2 (means ± SE, P < 0.05), respectively. The increase in developed force after a perfusion pulse is transient, whereas developed force during a perfusion step remains increased by 5.1 ± 2.5 mN/mm2 ( P < 0.05) in the steady state. Inhibition of SACs by addition of gadolinium (10 μmol/l) or streptomycin (40 and 100 μmol/l) blunts the perfusion-induced increase in developed force. Incubation with 100 μmol/l N ω-nitro-l-arginine [nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition], 10 μmol/l sodium nitroprusside (NO donation) and 0.1 μmol/l verapamil (L-type Ca2+ channel blockade) are without effect on the perfusion-induced increase of developed force. We conclude that brief, repetitive, or sustained increases in coronary perfusion augment cardiac contractility through activation of stretch-activated ion channels, whereas endothelial NO release and L-type Ca2+channels are not involved.


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