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Keep the Beat
26 May 2016

Keep the Beat

Arrhythmias – irregular heartbeats – can arise from different parts of the heart and cause severe symptoms, even sudden death. Although arrhythmia in the atria, the heart’s upper chambers, isn’t usually deadly, it can cause stroke or palpitations. Comparing the DNA of a family with multiple members suffering from atrial arrhythmia revealed that they shared a single genetic mutation. This changed a gene called MYL4, which codes for a type of myosin, one of the molecules that make muscle. By giving zebrafish a similar mutation (the image shows highly-magnified atrial muscle in a healthy fish) researchers were able to study its effect on the heart. The mutation hindered myosin from attaching to another muscle molecule called actin, so in the mutant fish the region where they join (vertical stripes pictured) were missing. As these junctions are structurally vital for converting the electrical signal into the beat, this caused arrhythmia.

Written by Esther Redhouse White

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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