A GABAergic system in atrioventricular node pacemaker cells controls electrical conduction between the atria and ventricles.

ABSTRACT: Physiologically, the atria contract first, followed by the ventricles, which is the prerequisite for normal blood circulation. The above phenomenon of atrioventricular sequential contraction results from the characteristically slow conduction of electrical excitation of the atrioventricular node (AVN) between the atria and the ventricles. However, it is not clear what controls the conduction of electrical excitation within AVNs. Here, we find that AVN pacemaker cells (AVNPCs) possess an intact intrinsic GABAergic system, which plays a key role in electrical conduction from the atria to the ventricles. First, along with the discovery of abundant GABA-containing vesicles under the surface membranes of AVNPCs, key elements of the GABAergic system, including GABA metabolic enzymes, GABA recept

SUBMITTER: Liang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11291642 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature