title: Calmodulin and the philosopher's stone: Changing Ca2+ into arrhythmias.
abstract: Calmodulin and the Philosopher's Stone. It has been recognized for some time that intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) can contribute to the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias, but understanding of the molecular signaling machinery that links disordered [Ca2+]i to arrhythmias has been lacking. Exciting recent work has focused on the ubiquitous intracellular Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin. Calmodulin is a molecular sensor that can translate increases in [Ca2+]i into modulatory signals for ion channels and activate other Ca2+-dependent signaling molecules. This article will examine the implications of these recent findings for arrhythmogenesis and the development of new antiarrhythmic therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-6300, USA. mark.anderson@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D017136:Ion Transport; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D002147:Calmodulin; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D002118:Calcium