Jean MEROT

Equipe I: Cardiomyopathies et mort subite
Thème Ic: Physiologie moléculaire et cellulaire
Situation / Catégorie : Chargé de Recherche CNRS

Contrats de Recherche:

Régulation de l'adressage des canaux ioniques et excitabilité cardiaque normale et pathologique (ChAT - Channel/Arrhythmias/Traffic)

Agence Nationale de la Recherche

Partenaire du projet (3 équipes)

2009 - 2011

The general goal of our scientific program is to provide new understandings on molecular and cellular basis of cardiac arrhythmias. Our working hypothesis is that membrane expression of ion channels is a dynamic process that could be altered during cardiac diseases contributing to the formation of an arrhythmogenic substrate. Our goals will be a better understanding of the nature of processes regulating the trafficking, the fate of ion channels in cardiac myocytes. We will investigate three phases in this process: the insertion of channels in the plasma membrane, their anchoring and clustering in large protein complexes, and their fate in cardiac myocytes. One important goal of the present project will be to develop new strategy to study in vivo the expression and function of the several actors involved in channel trafficking and targeting.

Cardiac remodeling that occurs in response to change of the working conditions of the myocardium is associated with a high risk of arrhythmias. This is the case of the atrial remodeling which is most often complicated by chronic atrial fibrillation. Our goal will be to determine the consequences of the atrial myocardial remodeling on channel trafficking and targeting.

Our goal is to federate in a network three laboratories with complementary and synergistic expertise and skills in the domain of cardiac electrophysiology and channel trafficking to develop a multidisciplinary project from molecular biology to integrated physiology using human tissue and experimental models.