Long COVID: Complications, Underlying Mechanisms, and Treatment Strategies.

Long Covid is one of the most prevalent and puzzling conditions that arose with the Covid pandemic. Covid-19 infection generally resolves within several weeks but some experience new or lingering symptoms. Though there is no formal definition for such lingering symptoms the CDC boadly describes long Covid as persons having a wide range of new, recurring or sustained health issues four or more weeks after first being infected with SARS-CoV2.

Tmem65 is critical for the structure and function of the intercalated discs in mouse hearts.

The intercalated disc (ICD) is a unique membrane structure that is indispensable to normal heart function, yet its structural organization is not completely understood. Previously, we showed that the ICD-bound transmembrane protein 65 (Tmem65) was required for connexin43 (Cx43) localization and function in cultured mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes. Here, we investigate the functional and cellular effects of Tmem65 reductions on the myocardium in a mouse model by injecting CD1 mouse pups (3-7 days after birth) with recombinant adeno-associated virus 9 (rAAV9) harboring Tmem65 shRNA, which reduces Tmem65 expression by 90% in mouse ventricles compared to scrambled shRNA injection.

AKAP6 and phospholamban colocalize and interact in HEK-293T cells and primary murine cardiomyocytes.

Phospholamban (PLN) is an important Ca modulator at the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of striated muscles. It physically interacts and inhibits sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca ATPase (SERCA2) function, whereas a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent phosphorylation at its serine 16 reverses the inhibition. The underlying mechanism of this post-translational modification, however, remains not fully understood.