ObjectivesToinvestigatethegeneexpressionofcalcium-handlingproteinsinpatientswithrheumaticheartdisease(RHD)andatrialfibrillation(AF).MethodsAtotalof50patientswithrheumaticmitralvalvediseasewereincluded.AccordingtocardiacrhythmanddurationofepisodeofAF,patientswerepidedintofourgroups:sinusrhythmgroup,oaroxvsmalAFre'our,persistentAFforlessthan6monthsgroupandpersistentAFformorethan6monthsgroup.Atrialtissuewasobtainedfromtherightatrialappendage,therightatrialfreewallandtheleftatrialappendagerespectivelyduringopenheartsurgery.TotalRNAwasisolatedandreverslytran-scribedintocDNA.Inasemi-quantitativepolymerasechainreactionthecDNAofinterestandofglyceralde-hyde3-phosphatedehydrogenase(GAPDH)weream-plifiedandseparatedbyethidiumbromide-stainedgelelectrophoresis.MultiplelinerregresswasusedforcorrelationbetweenthemRNAamountandage,sex,rightatrialdiameter(RAd)andleftatrialdiameter(LAd)ResultsThemRNAofL-typecalciumchannelα1osubunit,ofCa^2+-ATPaseandofryanodinereceptorinpatientswithpersistentAFformorethan6monthsweresignificantlydecreased(Pall<0.01)ButnoalterationsofthemRNAlevelsforSRphos-pholambanandcalsequestrinwereobservedinpatientswithpersistentAFformorethan6monthscomparedwithpatientswithsinusrhythm,paroxysmalAFandpersistentAFforlessthan6months(Pall>0.05)Therewasnodifferenceofthegeneexpressionamongthethreeatrialtissuesamplingsites(Pall>0.05).Age,gender,RAdandLAdhadnosignificanteffectsonthegeneexpressionofcalcium-handlingproteins(Pall>0.05).ConclusionsThemRNAexpressionofcalcium-handlingproteinsisdown-regulatedonlyinpatientswithRHDandlong-termpersistentAF.Suchabnormalitiesmayberelatedtotheinitiationand/orperpetuationofAFinthepatientswithRHD.
