title: Characterization of isolated ventricular myocytes from adult zebrafish (Danio rerio).
abstract: The zebrafish is widely used for human related disease studies. Surprisingly, there is no information about the electrical activity of single myocytes freshly isolated from adult zebrafish ventricle. In this study, we present an enzymatic method to isolate ventricular myocytes from zebrafish heart that yield a large number of calcium tolerant cells. Ventricular myocytes from zebrafish were imaged using light and confocal microscopy. Myocytes were mostly rod shaped and responded by vigorous contraction to field electrical stimulation. Whole cell configuration of the patch clamp technique was used to record electrophysiological characteristics of myocytes. Action potentials present a long duration and a plateau phase and action potential duration decreases when increasing stimulation frequency (as observed in larger mammals). Together these results indicate that zebrafish is a species ideally suited for investigation of ion channels related mutation screening of cardiac alteration important in human.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, 2nd Floor Core Technology Facility, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, UK. f.brette@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brette
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luxan
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cros
authors.forename: Hayley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dixey
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Holly A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Shiels
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D048430:Cell Shape; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology*; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016276:Ventricular Function; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D015222:Sodium Channels