Characterization of sodium channel alpha- and beta-subunits in rat and mouse cardiac myocytes.
BACKGROUND
Sodium channels isolated from mammalian brain are composed of alpha-, beta(1)-, and beta(2)-subunits. The composition of sodium channels in cardiac muscle, however, has not been defined, and disagreement exists over which beta-subunits are expressed in the myocytes. Some investigators have demonstrated beta(1) expression in heart. Others have not detected any auxiliary subunits. On the basis of Northern blot analysis of total RNA, beta(2) expression has been thought to be exclusive to neurons and absent from cardiac muscle.


RESULTS
The goal of this study was to define the subunit composition of cardiac sodium channels in myocytes. We show that cardiac sodium channels are composed of alpha-, beta(1)-, and beta(2)-subunits. Nav1.5 and Nav1.1 are expressed in myocytes and are associated with beta(1)- and beta(2)-subunits. Immunocytochemical localization of Nav1.1, beta(1), and beta(2) in adult heart sections showed that these subunits are expressed at the Z lines, as shown previously for Nav1.5. Coexpression of Nav1.5 with beta(2) in transfected cells resulted in no detectable changes in sodium current.


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac sodium channels are composed of alpha- (Nav1.1 or Nav1.5), beta(1)-, and beta(2)-subunits. Although beta(1)-subunits modulate cardiac sodium channel current, beta(2)-subunit function in heart may be limited to cell adhesion.
Dhar Malhotra
J
J
Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0632, USA.
Chen
C
C
Rivolta
I
I
Abriel
H
H
Malhotra
R
R
Mattei
L N
LN
Brosius
F C
FC
Kass
R S
RS
Isom
L L
LL
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
D021122:Protein Subunits; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015222:Sodium Channels