AJP - Regu AJP: Advances in Physiology Education
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol (June 10, 2009). doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90810.2008
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
297/2/R502    most recent
90810.2008v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Galli, G. L.J.
Right arrow Articles by Block, B. A
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Galli, G. L.J.
Right arrow Articles by Block, B. A
Submitted on October 5, 2008
Revised on June 5, 2009
Accepted on June 10, 2009

The Effect of Thermal Acclimation on Action Potentials and Sarcolemmal K+ Channels from Pacific Bluefin Tuna Cardiomyocytes

Gina L.J. Galli1*, Michael S Lipnick1, and Barbara A Block2

1 Stanford University
2 Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ggalli{at}interchange.ubc.ca.

To sustain cardiac muscle contractility relatively independent of temperature, some fish species are capable of temporarily altering excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling processes to meet the demands of their environment. The Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, is a partially endothermic fish that inhabits a wide range of thermal niches. The present study examined the effects of temperature and thermal acclimation on sarcolemmal K+ currents and their role in action potential (AP) generation in bluefin tuna cardiomyocytes. Atrial and ventricular myocytes were enzymatically isolated from cold- (14oC) and warm- (24oC) acclimated bluefin tuna. AP's and current-voltage relations of K+ channels were measured using the whole-cell current and voltage clamp techniques, respectively. Data were collected either at the cardiomyocytes' respective acclimation temperature of 14 or 24°C or at a common test temperature of 19°C (to reveal the effects of acclimation). AP duration (APD) was prolonged in cold-acclimated (CA) cardiomyocytes tested at 14oC compared to 19°C and in warm-acclimated (WA) cardiomyocytes tested at 19°C compared with 24°C. This effect was mirrored by a decrease in the density of the delayed rectifier current (IKr), while the density of the background inward rectifier current (IK1) was unchanged. When CA and WA cardiomyocytes were tested at a common temperature of 19°C, no significant effects of temperature acclimation on AP shape or duration were observed, while IKr density was markedly increased in CA cardiomyocytes. IK1 density was unaffected in CA ventricular myocytes but was significantly reduced in CA atrial myocytes, resulting in a depolarization of atrial resting membrane potential (Vm). Our results indicate the bluefin AP is relatively short compared to other teleosts, which may allow the bluefin heart to function at cold temperatures without the necessity for thermal compensation of APD.







HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 2009 by the American Physiological Society.