TY - JOUR
T1 - Calcium transient and sodium-calcium exchange current in human versus rabbit sinoatrial node pacemaker cells
AU - Verkerk, Arie O.
AU - van Borren, Marcel M. G. J.
AU - Wilders, Ronald
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - There is an ongoing debate on the mechanism underlying the pacemaker activity of sinoatrial node (SAN) cells, focusing on the relative importance of the "membrane clock" and the "Ca(2+) clock" in the generation of the small net membrane current that depolarizes the cell towards the action potential threshold. Specifically, the debate centers around the question whether the membrane clock-driven hyperpolarization-activated current, I f , which is also known as the "funny current" or "pacemaker current," or the Ca(2+) clock-driven sodium-calcium exchange current, I NaCa, is the main contributor to diastolic depolarization. In our contribution to this journal's "Special Issue on Cardiac Electrophysiology," we present a numerical reconstruction of I f and I NaCa in isolated rabbit and human SAN pacemaker cells based on experimental data on action potentials, I f , and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)] i ) that we have acquired from these cells. The human SAN pacemaker cells have a smaller I f , a weaker [Ca(2+)] i transient, and a smaller I NaCa than the rabbit cells. However, when compared to the diastolic net membrane current, I NaCa is of similar size in human and rabbit SAN pacemaker cells, whereas I f is smaller in human than in rabbit cells
AB - There is an ongoing debate on the mechanism underlying the pacemaker activity of sinoatrial node (SAN) cells, focusing on the relative importance of the "membrane clock" and the "Ca(2+) clock" in the generation of the small net membrane current that depolarizes the cell towards the action potential threshold. Specifically, the debate centers around the question whether the membrane clock-driven hyperpolarization-activated current, I f , which is also known as the "funny current" or "pacemaker current," or the Ca(2+) clock-driven sodium-calcium exchange current, I NaCa, is the main contributor to diastolic depolarization. In our contribution to this journal's "Special Issue on Cardiac Electrophysiology," we present a numerical reconstruction of I f and I NaCa in isolated rabbit and human SAN pacemaker cells based on experimental data on action potentials, I f , and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)] i ) that we have acquired from these cells. The human SAN pacemaker cells have a smaller I f , a weaker [Ca(2+)] i transient, and a smaller I NaCa than the rabbit cells. However, when compared to the diastolic net membrane current, I NaCa is of similar size in human and rabbit SAN pacemaker cells, whereas I f is smaller in human than in rabbit cells
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/507872
DO - https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/507872
M3 - Article
C2 - 23606816
SN - 1537-744X
VL - 2013
SP - 507872
JO - TheScientificWorldJournal
JF - TheScientificWorldJournal
ER -