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- Title
Diverse cell morphology and intracellular calcium dynamics in pulmonary vein cardiomyocytes.
- Authors
Yu, Ming-Chih; Huang, Chun-Feng; Chang, Che-Ming; Chen, Yao-Chang; Lin, Cheng-I; Chen, Shih-Ann
- Abstract
Pulmonary veins (PVs) contain cardiomyocytes with a complex cellular morphology and high arrhythmogenesis. Ca regulation and Ca sparks play a pivotal role in the electrical activity of cardiomyocytes. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the cell morphology can determine the PV electrical activity and Ca homeostasis. Through confocal microscopy with fluo-3 Ca fluorescence, Ca sparks and Ca transients were evaluated in isolated single rabbit left atria (LA) and PV cardiomyocytes according to the cell morphology (rod, rod-spindle and spindle/bifurcated). Twenty-two (20%) rod, 49 (43%) rod-spindle and 41 (37%) spindle/bifurcated cardiomyocytes were identified in the LA ( n = 29) and PV ( n = 83) cardiomyocytes. The PV cardiomyocytes with pacemaker activity had a higher incidence of spindle/bifurcated morphology than LA and PV cardiomyocytes without pacemaker activity. As compared to those in the rod or rod-spindle cardiomyocytes, spindle/bifurcated cardiomyocytes had a larger Ca transient amplitude and higher frequency of the Ca sparks with larger amplitude and longer duration. In contrast, rod-spindle and rod cardiomyocytes had similar Ca transients and Ca sparks. The cell length correlated well with the amplitude of the Ca transient and Ca spark duration with a linear regression. In conclusion, cell morphology and cell length play a potential role in the Ca homeostasis and Ca spark. The large Ca transients and high frequency of Ca sparks in spindle/bifurcated cardiomyocytes may cause a high arrhythmogenesis in the PV cardiomyocytes with pacemaker activity.
- Subjects
PULMONARY veins; HEART cells; CELL morphology; INTRACELLULAR calcium; ATRIAL fibrillation; HOMEOSTASIS; CALCIUM in the body; CONFOCAL microscopy
- Publication
Heart & Vessels, 2011, Vol 26, Issue 1, p101
- ISSN
0910-8327
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00380-010-0035-y