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Science 2 May 1997:
Vol. 276. no. 5313, pp. 755 - 756
DOI: 10.1126/science.276.5313.755
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Perspectives

Also see the archival list of Enhanced Perspectives

Medicine:
Enhanced: Quenching the Spark in the Heart

David T. Yue

At each heart beat, the cells in the heart contract in response to electrical excitation. This process is mediated by a multistep pathway that results in an increase in calcium concentration. In his Perspective, Yue discusses a report in this week's issue by Gómez et al. (p. 800) that identifies the coupling step in this pathway that is defective in heart failure.

The author is in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Program in Molecular and Cellular Systems Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. E-mail: dyue{at}bme.jhu.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Ca2+ Channel Modulation by Recombinant Auxiliary {beta} Subunits Expressed in Young Adult Heart Cells.
S.-k. Wei, H. M. Colecraft, C. D. DeMaria, B. Z. Peterson, R. Zhang, T. A. Kohout, T. B. Rogers, and D. T. Yue (2000)
Circ. Res. 86, 175-184
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Adenoviral gene transfer of SERCA2a improves left-ventricular function in aortic-banded rats in transition to heart failure.
M. I. Miyamoto, F. del Monte, U. Schmidt, T. S. DiSalvo, Z. B. Kang, T. Matsui, J. L. Guerrero, J. K. Gwathmey, A. Rosenzweig, and R. J. Hajjar (2000)
PNAS 97, 793-798
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Voltage-gated calcium-channels and antiarrhythmic drug action.
A. A. Grace and A.J. Camm (2000)
Cardiovasc Res 45, 43-51
   Full Text »    PDF »
Caffeine-induced Release of Intracellular Ca2+ from Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Expressing Skeletal Muscle Ryanodine Receptor: Effects on Full-Length and Carboxyl-Terminal Portion of Ca2+Release Channels.
M. B. Bhat, J. Zhao, W. Zang, C. W. Balke, H. Takeshima, W. G. Wier, and J. Ma (1997)
J. Gen. Physiol. 110, 749-762
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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