Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Voltage-Dependent Potassium Current Recording on H9c2 Cardiomyocytes via the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Technique
Published on: November 11, 2022
Decreased inward rectifier potassium current IK1 in dystrophin-deficient ventricular cardiomyocytes
Lena Rubi1, Xaver Koenig1, Helmut Kubista1
1a Department of Neurophysiology and Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria.
Abstract:
Kir2.x channels in ventricular cardiomyocytes (most prominently Kir2.1) account for the inward rectifier potassium current IK1, which controls the resting membrane potential and the final phase of action potential repolarization. Recently it was hypothesized that the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC) is important in the regulation of Kir2.x channels. To test this hypothesis, we investigated potential IK1 abnormalities in dystrophin-deficient ventricular cardiomyocytes derived from the hearts of Duchenne muscular dystrophy mouse models. We found that IK1 was substantially diminished in dystrophin-deficient cardiomyocytes when compared to wild type myocytes. This finding represents the first functional evidence for a significant role of the DAPC in the regulation of Kir2.x channels.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiac Action Potential
The cardiac action potential process involves a series of phases characterized by the movement of ions across the cardiac cell membranes, leading to the depolarization and repolarization of the cardiac myocytes.
Ionic Basis of Cardiac Action Potentials
Antiarrhythmic Drugs: Class III Agents as Potassium Channel Blockers

