Effects of Wild-Type and Mutant Forms of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide on Atrial Electrophysiology and Arrhythmogenesis.

Background: Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a hormone with numerous beneficial cardiovascular effects. Recently, a mutation in the ANP gene, which results in the generation of a mutant form of ANP (mANP), was identified and shown to cause atrial fibrillation in people. The mechanism(s) through which mANP causes atrial fibrillation is unknown.