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BACKGROUND: Effective treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains an unmet need. Human K2P3.1 (TASK-1) K(+) channels display atrial-specific expression and may serve as novel antiarrhythmic targets. In rodents, inhibition of K2P3.1 causes prolongation of action potentials and QT intervals. We used a porcine model to further elucidate the significance of K2P3.1 in large mammals. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to study porcine (p)K2P3.1 channel function and cardiac expression and to analyze pK2P3.1 remodeling in AF and heart failure (HF). METHODS: The porcine K2P3.1 ortholog was amplified and characterized using voltage-clamp electrophysiology. K2P3.1 mRNA expression and remodeling were studied in domestic pigs during AF and HF induced by atrial burst pacing. RESULTS: Porcine K2P3.1 cDNA encodes a channel protein with 97% identity to human K2P3.1. K(+) currents recorded from Xenopus oocytes expressing pK2P3.1 were functionally and pharmacologically similar to their human counterparts. In the pig, K2P3.1 mRNA was predominantly expressed in atrial tissue. AF and HF were associated with reduction of K2P3.1 mRNA levels by 85.1% (right atrium) and 77.0% (left atrium) at 21-day follow-up. In contrast, ventricular K2P3.1 expression was low and not significantly affected by AF/HF. CONCLUSION: Porcine K2P3.1 channels exhibit atrial expression and functional properties similar to their human orthologs, supporting a general role as antiarrhythmic drug targets. K2P3.1 down-regulation in AF with HF may indicate functional relevance of the channel that remains to be validated in prospective interventional studies.

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AIMS: Effective management of atrial fibrillation (AF) often remains an unmet need. Cardiac two-pore-domain K(+) (K2P) channels are implicated in action potential regulation, and their inhibition has been proposed as a novel antiarrhythmic strategy. K2P2.1 (TREK-1) channels are expressed in the human heart. This study was designed to identify and functionally express porcine K2P2.1 channels. In addition, we sought to analyze cardiac expression and AF-associated K2P2.1 remodeling in a clinically relevant porcine AF model. MAIN METHODS: Three pK2P2.1 isoforms were identified and amplified. Currents were recorded using voltage clamp electrophysiology in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. K2P2.1 remodeling was studied by quantitative real time PCR and Western blot in domestic pigs during AF induced by atrial burst pacing. KEY FINDINGS: Human and porcine K2P2.1 proteins share 99% identity. Residues involved in phosphorylation or glycosylation are conserved. Porcine K2P2.1 channels carried outwardly rectifying K(+) currents similar to their human counterparts. In pigs, K2P2.1 was expressed ubiquitously in the heart with predominance in the atrial tissue. AF was associated with time-dependent reduction of K2P2.1 protein in the RA by 70% (7 days of AF) and 80% (21 days of AF) compared to control animals in sinus rhythm. K2P2.1 expression in the left atrium, AV node, and ventricles was not affected by AF. SIGNIFICANCE: Similarities between porcine and human K2P2.1 channels indicate that the pig may represent a valid model for mechanistic and preclinical studies. AF-related atrial K2P2.1 remodeling has potential implications for arrhythmia maintenance and antiarrhythmic therapy.

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The purity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is a key parameter for their integration in electronic, optoelectronic and photonic devices. Samples of pristine SWNTs are inhomogeneous in terms of electric behavior and diameter and contain a variety of amorphous carbon and catalyst residues. To obtain high performance devices, purification of SWNTs is required. Conjugated polymers have emerged as efficient solubilizing and sorting agents for small diameter SWNTs (HiPco tubes, 0.7 nm<Ø<1.1 nm). Nevertheless, reports on polymers able to efficiently sort large diameter SWNTs with Ø>1.1 nm are lacking. Several pyridine-containing copolymers were synthesized for this purpose and showed efficient and selective extraction of semiconducting large diameter SWNTs (PLV tubes, Ø>1.1 nm). High concentration and high purity suspensions are obtained without the use of ultracentrifugation, which gives an up-scaling potential of the method. The emission wavelength is in near infrared region around 1550 nm and fits with broadly used telecommunication wavelength window. The processes taking place at the interface were simulated by a newly designed hybrid coarse-grain model combining density functional theory and geometrical calculation to yield insights into the wrapping processes with an unprecedented level of details for such large diameter SWNTs.

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The relevance of receptor conformational change during ligand binding is well documented for many pharmaceutically relevant receptors, but is still not fully accounted for in in silico docking methods. While there has been significant progress in treatment of receptor side chain flexibility sampling of backbone flexibility remains challenging because the conformational space expands dramatically and the scoring function must balance protein-protein and protein-ligand contributions. Here, we investigate an efficient multistage backbone reconstruction algorithm for large loop regions in the receptor and demonstrate that treatment of backbone receptor flexibility significantly improves binding mode prediction starting from apo structures and in cross docking simulations. For three different kinase receptors in which large flexible loops reconstruct upon ligand binding, we demonstrate that treatment of backbone flexibility results in accurate models of the complexes in simulations starting from the apo structure. At the example of the DFG-motif in the p38 kinase, we also show how loop reconstruction can be used to model allosteric binding. Our approach thus paves the way to treat the complex process of receptor reconstruction upon ligand binding in docking simulations and may help to design new ligands with high specificity by exploitation of allosteric mechanisms.

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The computational effort of biomolecular simulations can be significantly reduced by means of implicit solvent models in which the energy generally contains a correction depending on the surface area and/or the volume of the molecule. In this article, we present simple derivation of exact, easy-to-use analytical formulas for these quantities and their derivatives with respect to atomic coordinates. In addition, we provide an efficient, linear-scaling algorithm for the construction of the power diagram required for practical implementation of these formulas. Our approach is implemented in a C++ header-only template library.

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Cardiac side effects of antidepressant drugs are well recognized. Adverse effects precipitated by the tricyclic drug desipramine include prolonged QT intervals, torsade de pointes tachycardia, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. QT prolongation has been primarily attributed to acute blockade of hERG/I(Kr) currents. This study was designed to provide a more complete picture of cellular effects associated with desipramine. hERG channels were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cells, and potassium currents were recorded using patch clamp and two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. Ventricular action potentials were recorded from guinea pig cardiomyocytes. Protein trafficking and cell viability were evaluated in HEK 293 cells and in HL-1 mouse cardiomyocytes by immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, or colorimetric MTT assay, respectively. We found that desipramine reduced hERG currents by binding to a receptor site inside the channel pore. hERG protein surface expression was reduced after short-term treatment, revealing a previously unrecognized mechanism. When long-term effects were studied, forward trafficking was impaired and hERG currents were decreased. Action potential duration was prolonged upon acute and chronic desipramine exposure. Finally, desipramine triggered apoptosis in cells expressing hERG channels. Desipramine exerts at least four different cellular effects: (1) direct hERG channel block, (2) acute reduction of hERG surface expression, (3) chronic disruption of hERG trafficking, and (4) induction of apoptosis. These data highlight the complexity of hERG-associated drug effects.

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