TY - JOUR
T1 - Designer gap junctions that prevent cardiac arrhythmias
AU - Kim, Eugene
AU - Fishman, Glenn I.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health Grants HL82727 and HL105983 .
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Cardiac gap junctions are specialized membrane structures comprised of arrays of intercellular channels responsible for propagation of the cardiac impulse. These channels are formed by oligomerization of individual protein subunits known as connexins. In response to a broad array of pathologic stressors, gap junction expression is disturbed, resulting in aberrant cardiac conduction and increased propensity for rhythm disturbances. In this article, we review some of the recently identified molecular regulators of connexin assembly, membrane targeting, and degradation, focusing on the role of post-translational phosphorylation of connexin 43, the major gap junctional protein expressed in ventricular myocardium. We also describe efforts to engineer "designer" gap junctions that are resistant to pathologic remodeling.
AB - Cardiac gap junctions are specialized membrane structures comprised of arrays of intercellular channels responsible for propagation of the cardiac impulse. These channels are formed by oligomerization of individual protein subunits known as connexins. In response to a broad array of pathologic stressors, gap junction expression is disturbed, resulting in aberrant cardiac conduction and increased propensity for rhythm disturbances. In this article, we review some of the recently identified molecular regulators of connexin assembly, membrane targeting, and degradation, focusing on the role of post-translational phosphorylation of connexin 43, the major gap junctional protein expressed in ventricular myocardium. We also describe efforts to engineer "designer" gap junctions that are resistant to pathologic remodeling.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84873192476&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tcm.2012.08.008
DO - 10.1016/j.tcm.2012.08.008
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23245912
AN - SCOPUS:84873192476
SN - 1050-1738
VL - 23
SP - 33
EP - 38
JO - Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
JF - Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
IS - 2
ER -