Cardiac arrhythmias are a major clinical problem. Guest editors' introduction.

摘要

With their propensity to lead to sudden death, cardiac arrhythmias are a major clinical problem. They also represent an exciting medical challenge which needs the association of fundamental molecular and cell physiologists and cardiologists to unravel the underlying arrhythmogenic mechanisms and to imagine new therapeutic approaches. Since the development of the patch-clamp technique some 30 years ago, an incredibly large amount of knowledge has been obtained. After biophysical dissection of ion currents, the inputs from molecular biology and genetics have allowed the identification and functional description of many proteins responsible for the channel function. In this issue of Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology a series of review articles and original papers highlight the latter advances in ion channel studies from biophysics to pathophysiology. It provides us with an updated picture of functional ion channel macro-complexes composition and of their respective role in cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. More importantly, it raises new scientific questions the answer of which will allow us to understand in more depth the physiopathology of cardiac arrhythmias.