Cardiac IK1 and IKACh are the major potassium currents displaying classical strong inward
rectification, a unique property that is critical for their roles in cardiac excitability. In the last …

The spontaneous activity of pacemaker cells in the sino-atrial node controls the heart rhythm
and rate under physiological conditions. Compared to working myocardial cells, pacemaker …

Background—Recent evidence suggests that atrial fibrillation (AF) is maintained by high-
frequency reentrant sources with a left-to-right–dominant frequency gradient, particularly in …

Background: Bradyarrhythmia is a common clinical manifestation. Although the majority of
cases are acquired, genetic analysis of families with bradyarrhythmia has identified a …

Heart rate is controlled by the opposing activities of sympathetic and parasympathetic inputs
to pacemaker myocytes in the sinoatrial node (SAN). Parasympathetic activity on nodal …

Parasympathetic regulation of sinoatrial node (SAN) pacemaker activity modulates multiple
ion channels to temper heart rate. The functional role of the G-protein–activated K+ current …

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are best known for their ability to regulate blood vessel tone and
kidney function whereas their electrophysiological effects on the heart are less clear. Here …

The sinoatrial node (SAN) is composed of highly specialized cells that mandate the
spontaneous beating of the heart through self-generation of an action potential (AP). Despite …

Genetically modified mice are popular experimental models for studying the molecular
bases and mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmia. A postgenome challenge is to classify the …

Mutations in the KCNJ5 gene, encoding one of the major subunits of cardiac G-protein-
gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels, have been recently linked to inherited forms of …