Evidence for a Physiological Role of T-Type Ca Channels in Ventricular Cardiomyocytes of Adult Mice

T-type Ca channels are strongly expressed and important in the developing heart. In the adult heart, these channels play a significant role in pacemaker tissues, but there is uncertainty about their presence and physiological relevance in the working myocardium. Here, we show that the T-type Ca channel isoforms Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 are expressed at a protein level in ventricular cardiomyocytes from healthy adult C57/BL6 mice. Myocytes isolated from adult wild-type and Cav3.2 KO mice showed considerable whole cell T-type Ca currents under beta-adrenergic stimulation with isoprenaline. We further show that the detectability of basal T-type Ca currents in murine wild-type cardiomyocytes depends on the applied experimental conditions. Together, these findings reveal the presence of functional T-type Ca channels in the membrane of ventricular myocytes. In addition, electrically evoked Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum was significantly impaired in Cav3.2 KO compared to wild-type cardiomyocytes. Our work implies a physiological role of T-type Ca channels in the healthy adult murine ventricular working myocardium.

Automated summary

T-type Ca channels are expressed in the ventricular cardiomyocytes of adult mice and play a functional role in the working myocardium. Knockout of the Cav3.2 gene impairs electrically evoked Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiomyocytes.