title: Postnatal changes in mRNA expression of the K+ channel in rat cardiac ventricles.
abstract: The reason for the postnatal changes of action potential duration in rat heart cells is still a matter of controversy. We have examined mRNA expression levels of Kv1.2, one of the K(+)-channel genes, in neonatal (1 week) and adult (8 weeks) rat cardiac ventricles. For analysis of mRNA expression, we used the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. The level of Kv1.2 mRNA expression in adult rats was significantly higher than that in neonatal rats. This result suggests that the levels of ion channel gene expression may be responsible for the postnatal changes of the action potential duration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Akita University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iijima
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels; D012333:RNA, Messenger