Peripherin-2 couples rhodopsin to the CNG channel in outer segments of rod photoreceptors.

Outer segments (OSs) of rod photoreceptors are cellular compartments specialized in the conversion of light into electrical signals. This process relies on the light-triggered change in the intracellular levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which in turn controls the activity of cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels in the rod OS plasma membrane. The rod CNG channel is a macromolecular complex that in its core harbors the ion-conducting CNGA1 and CNGB1a subunits.

Sick sinus syndrome in HCN1-deficient mice.

Background: Sinus node dysfunction (SND) is a major clinically relevant disease that is associated with sudden cardiac death and requires surgical implantation of electric pacemaker devices. Frequently, SND occurs in heart failure and hypertension, conditions that lead to electric instability of the heart. Although the pathologies of acquired SND have been studied extensively, little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that cause congenital SND.

Complex regulation of voltage-dependent activation and inactivation properties of retinal voltage-gated Cav1.4 L-type Ca2+ channels by Ca2+-binding protein 4 (CaBP4).

Cav1.4 L-type Ca(2+) channels are crucial for synaptic transmission in retinal photoreceptors and bipolar neurons. Recent studies suggest that the activity of this channel is regulated by the Ca(2+)-binding protein 4 (CaBP4).

HCN3 contributes to the ventricular action potential waveform in the murine heart.

Rationale: The hyperpolarization-activated current I(h) that is generated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (HCNs) plays a key role in the control of pacemaker activity in sinoatrial node cells of the heart. By contrast, it is unclear whether I(h) is also relevant for normal function of cardiac ventricles.

Objective: To study the role of the HCN3-mediated component of ventricular I(h) in normal ventricular function.