Donate Help Contact The AHA Sign In Home
American Heart Association
Circulation Research
Search: search_blue_button Advanced Search
Circulation Research. 2008
Published online before print July 24, 2008, doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.108.180984
A more recent version of this article appeared on August 29, 2008
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Data Supplement
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
103/5/527    most recent
CIRCRESAHA.108.180984v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cifelli, C.
Right arrow Articles by Heximer, S. P.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Cifelli, C.
Right arrow Articles by Heximer, S. P.
Related Collections
Right arrow Pacemaker
Right arrow Arrythmias-basic studies
Right arrow Cell signalling/signal transduction
Right arrow Gene regulation
Right arrow Genetically altered mice
Right arrow Ion channels/membrane transport
Right arrowRelated Article

Submitted on February 12, 2008
Revised on July 9, 2008
Accepted on July 10, 2008

RGS4 Regulates Parasympathetic Signaling and Heart Rate Control in the Sinoatrial Node

Carlo Cifelli ; Robert A. Rose ; Hangjun Zhang ; Julia Voigtlaender-Bolz ; Steffen-Sebastian Bolz ; Peter H. Backx ; and Scott P. Heximer *

From the Department of Physiology (C.C., R.A.R., H.Z., J.V.-B., S.-S.B., P.H.B., S.P.H.), Heart and Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research, University of Toronto, and Department of Medicine (R.A.R., P.H.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cardiology, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: scott.heximer{at}utoronto.ca.

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 myocytes is mediated by acetylcholine-dependent stimulation of M2 muscarinic receptors and activation of G{alpha}i/o signaling. Although regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are potent inhibitors of G{alpha}i/o signaling in many tissues, the RGS protein(s) that regulate parasympathetic tone in the SAN are unknown. Our results demonstrate that RGS4 mRNA levels are higher in the SAN compared to right atrium. Conscious freely moving RGS4-null mice showed increased bradycardic responses to parasympathetic agonists compared to wild-type animals. Moreover, anesthetized RGS4-null mice had lower baseline heart rates and greater heart rate increases following atropine administration. Retrograde-perfused hearts from RGS4-null mice showed enhanced negative chronotropic responses to carbachol, whereas SAN myocytes showed greater sensitivity to carbachol-mediated reduction in the action potential firing rate. Finally, RGS4-null SAN cells showed decreased levels of G protein–coupled inward rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel desensitization and altered modulation of acetylcholine-sensitive potassium current (IKACh) kinetics following carbachol stimulation. Taken together, our studies establish that RGS4 plays an important role in regulating sinus rhythm by inhibiting parasympathetic signaling and IKACh activity.


Key words: RGS proteins • sinoatrial node • parasympathetic • GIRK channels


Related Article:

And the Winner Is ... RGS4!
Richard R. Neubig
Circ. Res. 2008 103: 444-446. [Full Text] [PDF]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Circ. Res.Home page
R. R. Neubig
And the Winner Is ... RGS4!
Circ. Res., August 29, 2008; 103(5): 444 - 446.
[Full Text] [PDF]