Cell Recycling Centres Help Control Heart Rhythm
Researchers have discovered that lysosomes, previously known only as cellular recycling centers, play a critical role in regulating the heart's natural rhythm. This signaling pathway helps the heart's pacemaker respond to the need for faster beats.
Why it matters
Understanding this biological mechanism provides new insights into heart rhythm disorders like atrial fibrillation, potentially leading to new medical treatments.
Scientists have discovered that lysosomes, structures traditionally viewed as the cell's recycling centres, also play a role in regulating the heart's natural rhythm.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool and University of Oxford, working with national and international collaborators, found that lysosomes act as signalling centres in heart cells, helping the heart's natural pacemaker respond when the heart needs to beat faster.
The findings, published in Cardiovascular Research Journal , provide fresh insight into the biological processes involved in regulating heart rhythm and could help inform future studies into conditions such as atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder.
Previous studies had shown that lysosomes can influence calcium signalling in heart cells. However, until now, their role in controlling the heart's pacemaker and heart rate had not been investigated.
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