Key result
Cardiac gap junction spatial organization and specialization theoretically influence access resistance between coupled myocardial cells.
The spatial organization of cardiac gap junctions may influence access resistance, which is an important determinant of electrical conductance between myocardial cells.
Hypothesis-generating for gap junction organization in myocardial conduction; leaves open effects on arrhythmia susceptibility.
In the heart, gap junctions electrically couple myocytes together. Electron- and light-microscope-based analyses have revealed that cardiac gap junctions show a variety of organizational patterns. At the level of gap-junctional channel aggregates, freeze fracture has demonstrated diverse channel packing arrangements in the membranes of different myocardial tissues. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies have shown variation and specialization in the 3-dimensional spatial distribution of gap junctional contacts between different types of myocardial cells. Here, we estimate the access resistance of various configurations of gap junctions using physical principles and explore how certain of these specializations in gap-junctional organization may influence access resistance, a potentially important determinant of electrical conductance between coupled myocardial cells.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Hall et al. (1995) studied this question. Various configurations of gap junctions was evaluated on Access resistance. Estimations based on physical principles suggest that the spatial organization and specialization of cardiac gap junctions can influence access resistance between coupled myocardial cells.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: