Mutation in sodium-calcium exchanger 1 (NCX1) causes cardiac fibrillation in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Cardiac fibrillation, a form of cardiac arrhythmia, is the most common cause of embolic stroke and death associated with heart failure. The molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac fibrillation are largely unknown. Here we report a zebrafish model for cardiac fibrillation. The hearts of zebrafish tremblor (tre) mutants exhibit chaotic movements and fail to develop synchronized contractions. Calcium imaging showed that normal calcium transients are absent in tre cardiomyocytes, and molecular cloning of the tre mutation revealed that the tre locus encodes the zebrafish cardiac-specific sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) 1, NCX1h. Forced expression of NCX1h or other calcium-handling molecules restored synchronized heartbeats in tre mutant embryos in a dosage-dependent manner, demonstrating the cri

SUBMITTER: Langenbacher AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1308881 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature