Potassium Channels In Cardiovascular Biology

Potassium channels (K+) are membrane-spanning proteins which serve many important functions and are becoming a hot topic in physiology. K+ channels determine or modulate many functions of vascular smooth muscle, endothelial and inflammatory cells, and thus are central to regulation of arterial tone and control of cell proliferation. They are also promising targets for antihypertensive treatments with drugs which open and close specific types of K+ channels, making for an active field of research. With their ability to control vascular tone, voltage-gated K+ channels play a significant role in both pulmonary and systemic hypertension as well as in cardiac arrhythmias. This book will highlight the latest discoveries by leading researchers pertaining to the role of K+ channels in the heart and blood vessels in normal physiology and a variety of disease states.

Potassium ions K+ ions are vital in physiological processes, particularly with regard to the cardiovascular system. Modulators influence the channels through which these ions flow and the research into modulator drugs of these channels is the subject of rapidly-advancing research. This work is intended to be of use as a tool for those working in the pharmaceutical industry. Early chapters concentrate on the synthesis and structure-activity relationships of potassium channel modulators. These are followed by discussion on the application of these drugs to different target organs, such as the cardiovascular system and the airways. The book concludes with a broad overview of clinical experience and future prospects.; The authors show how potassium channel activators and potassium channel blockers each have a role to play as therapeutic agents for many disorders, including asthma and respiratory tract disorders, diseases of the central nervous system such as epilepsy, and vascular diseases such as angina, peripheral vascular disease and high blood pressure. This book should therefore also be of interest to those researching into this wide range of diseases.

Knowledge of cardiac ion channels and transporters has advanced remarkably in the last two decades with the development of patch-clamp and molecular biological techniques. This textbook offers a comprehensive overview of structures and functions of ion channels and transporters in the heart. Readers are first introduced to the molecular biology and electrophysiology of all the important ion channels. After discussing their developmental changes, the pharmacology and pathophysiology of clinically-relevant ion channels are reviewed. Molecular aspects of the cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and intracellular Ca2+ regulation by ion transporters are also described. The book will be useful to electrophysiologists, cardiac physiologists and pharmacologists, and molecular biologists interested in ion channels at all levels. For research specialists, the book will provide a perspective of the field. The book can be used as a reference source for working scientists in the fields of ion channels, biophysics, cardiac electrophysiology, and pharmacology. It is aimed at graduate and medical students, designed for use as a textbook for graduate and medical courses.

This issue of Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics, edited by Drs. Mohammad Shenasa and Stanley Nattel, will review Cardiac Potassium Channel Disorders in depth. Topics covered include but are not limited to: Molecular Biology of Cardiac Potassium Channels; Genetic Control of Potassium Channels; Potassium Channel Remodeling in Heart Disease; Gender-specific Effects of Potassium Channel Blockers; Pharmacogenetics of Potassium Channel Blockers; Multichannel Blockers; Selective Potassium Channel Blockers; and Proarrhythmic and Torsadogenic Effects of Potassium Channel Blockers in Patients.

This book provides an expert overview on ion channel-related arrhythmia mechanisms, and describes important advances in our understanding of how ion channel dysfunction causes cardiac disease. Both, scientific findings and clinical implications are presented and discussed by scientists who have considerably contributed to the field. The book is organized in three parts: part I treats the molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms of function and dysfunction of ion channels, part II focuses on genetics and clinical findings, whereas part III describes novel research techniques, the use of stem cells and animal models and provides an outlook on future investigations and applications. The book is written for scientists in Cardiovascular Biology and Neuroscience and will be of general interest to Medical Doctors in Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology and related disciplines.

This book is the first to focus on potassium ion channels and covers the recent remarkable progress made in research on these proteins. Many diseases are caused by the abnormalities of potassium ion channels. They include diabetes mellitus, life-threatening hereditary cardiac arrhythmia, epilepsy, neural degeneration, and renal hypertension. Written by leading scientists in the field, this volume offers readers a comprehensive update of this field in the understanding of the genes, molecular structure, function and diseases of potassium ion channels. Key Features * The first comprehensive volume on potassium ion channels in all aspects of genes, molecular structure, function, and diseases * Completely up-to-date information * Written by leading scientists in the field

A state-of-the-art presentation of the technology for studying human chromosomes. The book serves as a basic techniques manual designed to concisely present the current working protocols in cytogenetics. Beginning with a decription of tissue culture procedures for all tissue types from blood to solid tumors, subsequent chapters provide extensive coverage of chromosome preparations, differential staining techniques, chromosome sorting, high-resolution banding, fragile X analysis, sister chromatoid exchanges and DNA replication. A new chapter entitled "Molecular Cytogenetic Techniques" covers the latest fluorescent in-site hybridization (FISH) procedures illustrated by 20 colour plates. Summarizes latest research on the structure, organization, function, and regulation of ion channels in the cardiovascular system. This text deals with the fundamental biology and clinical implications of the function and dysfunction of major ion channel types. Particular focus is given to channels in the heart. The material presented will provide an increased understanding of channel biology and provide a stronger interdisciplinary appreciation of its potential role in treating cardiovascular disease