Expression of key ion channels in the rat cardiac conduction system by laser capture microdissection and quantitative real‐time PCR

The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular basis of the inferior nodal extension (INE) in the atrioventricular junctional area that accounts for arrhythmias. The INE was separated from the adult rat heart by laser capture microdissection. The mRNA expression of ion channels was det...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental physiology 2010-09, Vol.95 (9), p.938-945
Main Authors: Ou, Yan, Niu, Xiao‐lin, Ren, Fu‐xian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Calcium Channels - genetics
Cluster Analysis
Female
Gene Expression Profiling - methods
Gene Expression Regulation
Heart Conduction System - chemistry
Lasers
Microdissection - instrumentation
Potassium Channels - genetics
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Messenger - analysis
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Summary:The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular basis of the inferior nodal extension (INE) in the atrioventricular junctional area that accounts for arrhythmias. The INE was separated from the adult rat heart by laser capture microdissection. The mRNA expression of ion channels was detected by quantitative real‐time PCR. Hierarchical clustering was used to demonstrate clustering of expression of genes in sections. The mRNA expression of HCN4, Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 was high in the INE, atrioventricular node and sino‐atrial node, and that of Cav3.2 high in Purkinje fibres. Although the expression of HCN1 and Cav1.3 was low in the rat heart, it was relatively higher in the INE, atrioventricular node and sino‐atrial node than in right atrial and right ventricular (working) myocytes. Both HCN2 and Cav1.2 were expressed at higher levels in working myocytes than in nodal tissues and in the INE. Hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated that the expression of the HCN and calcium channels in INE was similar to that in the slow‐response automatic cells and different from that in working myocytes and Purkinje fibres. The expression of HCN and calcium channels in the INE of the adult rat heart is similar to that of slow‐response automatic cells and provides a substrate for automatic phase 4 depolarization in cells.
ISSN:0958-0670
1469-445X
DOI:10.1113/expphysiol.2009.051300