Calmodulin Kinase II Inhibition Shortens Action Potential Duration by Upregulation of K+ Currents

J Li, C Marionneau, R Zhang, V Shah, JW Hell… - Circulation …, 2006 - Am Heart Assoc
J Li, C Marionneau, R Zhang, V Shah, JW Hell, JM Nerbonne, ME Anderson
Circulation research, 2006Am Heart Assoc
The multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by
elevated intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+ i), and mice with chronic myocardial CaMKII inhibition
(Inh) resulting from transgenic expression of a CaMKII inhibitory peptide (AC3-I)
unexpectedly showed action potential duration (APD) shortening. Inh mice exhibit increased
L-type Ca2+ current (I Ca), because of upregulation of protein kinase A (PKA) activity, and
decreased CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLN). We hypothesized …
The multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by elevated intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i), and mice with chronic myocardial CaMKII inhibition (Inh) resulting from transgenic expression of a CaMKII inhibitory peptide (AC3-I) unexpectedly showed action potential duration (APD) shortening. Inh mice exhibit increased L-type Ca2+ current (ICa), because of upregulation of protein kinase A (PKA) activity, and decreased CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLN). We hypothesized that CaMKII is a molecular signal linking Ca2+i to repolarization. Whole cell voltage-clamp recordings revealed that the fast transient outward current (Ito,f) and the inward rectifier current (IK1) were selectively upregulated in Inh, compared with wild-type (WT) and transgenic control, mice. Breeding Inh mice with mice lacking PLN returned Ito,f and IK1 to control levels and equalized the APD and QT intervals in Inh mice to control and WT levels. Dialysis of AC3-I into WT cells did not result in increased Ito,f or IK1, suggesting that enhanced cardiac repolarization in Inh mice is an adaptive response to chronic CaMKII inhibition rather than an acute effect of reduced CaMKII activity. Increasing PKA activity, by cell dialysis with cAMP, or inhibition of PKA did not affect IK1 in WT cells. Dialysis of WT cells with cAMP also reduced Ito,f, suggesting that PKA upregulation does not increase repolarizing K+ currents in Inh mice. These findings provide novel in vivo and cellular evidence that CaMKII links Ca2+i to cardiac repolarization and suggest that PLN may be a critical CaMKII target for feedback regulation of APD in ventricular myocytes.
Am Heart Assoc