Article,

A model of graded calcium release and L-type Ca$^2+$ channel inactivation in cardiac muscle.

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Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol., 286 (3): H1154--H1169 (March 2004)
DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00168.2003

Abstract

We have developed a model of Ca$^2+$ handling in ferret ventricular myocytes. This model includes a novel L-type Ca$^2+$ channel, detailed intracellular Ca$^2+$ movements, and graded Ca$^2+$-induced Ca$^2+$ release (CICR). The model successfully reproduces data from voltage-clamp experiments, including voltage- and time-dependent changes in intracellular Ca$^2+$ concentration (Ca$^2+$(i)), L-type Ca$^2+$ channel current (I(CaL)) inactivation and recovery kinetics, and Ca$^2+$ sparks. The development of graded CICR is critically dependent on spatial heterogeneity and the physical arrangement of calcium channels in opposition to ryanodine-sensitive release channels. The model contains spatially distinct subsystems representing the subsarcolemmal regions where the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) abuts the T-tubular membrane and where the L-type Ca$^2+$ channels and SR ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are localized. There are eight different types of subsystems in our model, with between one and eight L-type Ca$^2+$ channels distributed binomially. This model exhibits graded CICR and provides a quantitative description of Ca$^2+$ dynamics not requiring Monte-Carlo simulations. Activation of RyRs and release of Ca$^2+$ from the SR depend critically on Ca$^2+$ entry through L-type Ca$^2+$ channels. In turn, Ca$^2+$ channel inactivation is critically dependent on the release of stored intracellular Ca$^2+$. Inactivation of I(CaL) depends on both transmembrane voltage and local Ca$^2+$(i) near the channel, which results in distinctive inactivation properties. The molecular mechanisms underlying many I(CaL) gating properties are unclear, but Ca$^2+$(i) dynamics clearly play a fundamental role.

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