New view of the heartbeat
Nav1.5 is sensitive to the calcium-ion sensor protein calmodulin (CaM); however, the exact mechanism of how CaM exerts its effect on Nav1.5 is not well understood.
Christopher Johnson, PhD, Walter Chazin, PhD, and their colleagues integrated structural biology data from multiple techniques to show that CaM engages a portion of Nav1.5 known as the “inactivation gate” in a unique manner.
Then they determined that this calcium-dependent binding of CaM promotes the resetting of the channel after it opens, to help prepare for the next heartbeat.
Their work suggests a mechanism for how calcium and calmodulin fine tune cardiac sodium channels and may help in the development of novel therapeutics and improvements to existing treatments for cardiac arrhythmias.
Original publication
Most read news
Other news from the department science
These products might interest you
Kjel- / Dist Line by Büchi
Kjel- and Dist Line - steam distillation and Kjeldahl applications
Maximum accuracy and performance for your steam distillation and Kjeldahl applications
AZURA Purifier + LH 2.1 by KNAUER
Preparative Liquid Chromatography - New platform for more throughput
Save time and improve reproducibility during purification
Get the analytics and lab tech industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for analytics and lab technology brings you up to date every Tuesday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.