| Cardiomyopathy is defined as a disease of the heart muscle. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a form of cardiomyopathy that is characterized by chamber dilation and impaired cardiac pump function. Although DCM is known to result in cardiac contractile dysfunction, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. As the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is the main regulator of intracellular Ca2+concentration in cardiac contraction and relaxation, we hypothesize that abnormalities in both the SR function and its regulation contribute to cardiac contractile dysfunction in cardiomyopathy. Accordingly, we examined cardiac performance, SR function and its regulation in the J2N-k cardiomyopathic hamster, an appropriate model of DCM. The results of this study suggest that the impairment of SERCA2a may lead to altered SR function and subsequent cardiac dysfunction in the J2N-k cardiomyopathic hamsters. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
