WikiPathways: connecting communities.

WikiPathways (https://www.wikipathways.org) is a biological pathway database known for its collaborative nature and open science approaches.

Differentiating the effects of β-adrenergic stimulation and stretch on calcium and force dynamics using a novel electromechanical cardiomyocyte model.

Cardiac electrophysiology and mechanics are strongly interconnected. Calcium is crucial in this complex interplay through its role in cellular electrophysiology and sarcomere contraction. We aim to differentiate the effects of acute β-adrenergic stimulation (β-ARS) and cardiomyocyte stretch (increased sarcomere length) on calcium-transient dynamics and force generation, using a novel computational model of cardiac electromechanics.

Linking cross-bridge cycling kinetics to response to cardiac resynchronization therapy: a multiscale modelling study.

Aims: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is currently the most widely used treatment for heart failure patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB). In recent years, the presence of septal rebound stretch (SRS) has been found to be a positive indicator for CRT response although the mechanism is unknown.

Methods And Results: In an attempt to understand the relation between cellular mechanics and global pump function in CRT patients, we utilize the CircAdapt closed-loop cardiovascular system model in combination with the MechChem model of cardiac sarcomere contraction.

High tension in sarcomeres hinders myocardial relaxation: A computational study.

Experiments have shown that the relaxation phase of cardiac sarcomeres during an isometric twitch is prolonged in muscles that reached a higher peak tension. However, the mechanism is not completely understood. We hypothesize that the binding of calcium to troponin is enhanced by the tension in the thin filament, thus contributing to the prolongation of contraction upon higher peak tension generation.

Mechano-chemical Interactions in Cardiac Sarcomere Contraction: A Computational Modeling Study.

We developed a model of cardiac sarcomere contraction to study the calcium-tension relationship in cardiac muscle. Calcium mediates cardiac contraction through its interactions with troponin (Tn) and subsequently tropomyosin molecules. Experimental studies have shown that a slight increase in intracellular calcium concentration leads to a rapid increase in sarcomeric tension.