Aberrant behaviour of cardiac calcium release channels induced by ryanodine receptor peptide probes

Funded Activity Summary

Contraction of heart muscle is regulated by the release of calcium ions from an intracellular store known as the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Calcium is released from this store to trigger contraction and then taken up again to let the heart muscle relax. Calcium flows out from the store through a specialised type of ion channel protein known as the ryanodine receptor. Recently, genetic studies have indicted that some forms of sudden cardiac death are due to mutations in the ryanodine receptor in the heart of susceptible individuals. However, nothing is currently known about how such mutations affect the function of the ryanodine receptor or how this can cause the abnormal heart beating that leads to sudden cardiac death. This project will investigate the normal functioning of the ryanodine receptor and what aberrations occur with the different mutations. This could lead to better treatment of individuals susceptible to this type of sudden cardiac death. The effectiveness of one type of drug in preventing aberrant channel behaviour will also be examined.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $315,375.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical biotechnology diagnostics (incl. biosensors)

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

E-C coupling | calcium channels | cardiac dysrythmias | heart disease | intracellular calcium | ion channels | physiology | ryanodine receptor | sudden cardiac death | ventricular tachycardia

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