Abstract
Background: Cardiac repolarization, the process by which cardiomyocytes return to their resting potential after each beat, is a highly regulated process that is critical for heart rhythm stability. Perturbations of cardiac repolarization increase the risk for life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Although genetic studies of familial long-QT syndromes have uncovered several key genes in cardiac repolarization, the major heritable contribution to this trait remains unexplained. Identification of additional genes may lead to a better understanding of the underlying biology, aid in identification of patients at risk for sudden death, and potentially enable new treatments for susceptible individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS-: We extended and refined a zebrafish model of cardiac repolarization by using fluorescent reporters of transmembrane potential. We then conducted a drug-sensitized genetic screen in zebrafish, identifying 15 genes, including GINS3, that affect cardiac repolarization. Testing these genes for human relevance in 2 concurrently completed genome-wide association studies revealed that the human GINS3 ortholog is located in the 16q21 locus, which is strongly associated with QT interval. CONCLUSIONS-: This sensitized zebrafish screen identified 15 novel myocardial repolarization genes. Among these genes is GINS3, the human ortholog of which is a major locus in 2 concurrent human genome-wide association studies of QT interval. These results reveal a novel network of genes that regulate cardiac repolarization.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 553-559 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Circulation |
Volume | 120 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 18 2009 |
Keywords
- Electrophysiology
- Genes
- Ion channels
- Myocardial repolarization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Physiology (medical)