Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of sustained cardiac arrhythmia. Substantial evidence indicates that cardiomyocytes located in the pulmonary veins [pulmonary vein sleeve cells (PVCs)] cause AF by generating ectopic electrical activity. Electrical ablation, isolating PVCs from their left atrial junctions, is a major treatment for AF. In small rodents, the sleeve of PVCs extends deep inside the lungs and is present in lung slices. Here we present data, using the lung slice preparation, characterizing how spontaneous Ca2+ transients in PVCs affect their capability to respond to electrical pacing. Immediately after a spontaneous Ca2+ transient the cell is in a refractory period and it cannot respond to electrical stimulation. Consequently, we observe that the higher the level of spontaneous activity in an individual PVC, the less likely it is that this PVC responds to electrical field stimulation. The spontaneous activity of neighbouring PVCs can be different from each other. Heterogeneity in the Ca2+ signalling of cells and in their responsiveness to electrical stimuli are known pro-arrhythmic events. The tendency of PVCs to show spontaneous Ca2+ transients and spontaneous action potentials (APs) underlies their potential to cause AF.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2015
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
June 01 2015
Pulmonary vein sleeve cell excitation–contraction-coupling becomes dysynchronized by spontaneous calcium transients
Katja Rietdorf;
Katja Rietdorf
1
*Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, U.K.
1Correspondence may be addressed to either author (emailkatja.rietdorf@open.ac.uk or martin.bootman@open.ac.uk).
Search for other works by this author on:
Said Masoud;
Said Masoud
*Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Fraser McDonald;
Fraser McDonald
†Department of Orthodontics, Floor 22, Tower Wing, St. Thomas St, King's College London Dental Institute, London, SE1 9RT, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Michael J. Sanderson;
Michael J. Sanderson
‡Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave North, Worcester, MA 01655, U.S.A.
Search for other works by this author on:
Martin D. Bootman
Martin D. Bootman
1
*Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, U.K.
1Correspondence may be addressed to either author (emailkatja.rietdorf@open.ac.uk or martin.bootman@open.ac.uk).
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 14 2014
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2015 Biochemical Society
2015
Biochem Soc Trans (2015) 43 (3): 410–416.
Article history
Received:
November 14 2014
Citation
Katja Rietdorf, Said Masoud, Fraser McDonald, Michael J. Sanderson, Martin D. Bootman; Pulmonary vein sleeve cell excitation–contraction-coupling becomes dysynchronized by spontaneous calcium transients. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2015; 43 (3): 410–416. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20140299
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.