Abstract
Parasympathetic stimulation of the heart, which provides protection from arrhythmias and sudden death, involves activation of the G protein–coupled inward rectifying K+ channel GIRK1/4 and results in an acetylcholine-sensitive K+ current, IKACh. We describe a unique relationship between lipid homeostasis, the lipid-sensitive transcription factor SREBP-1, regulation of the cardiac parasympathetic response, and the development of ventricular arrhythmia. In embryonic chick atrial myocytes, lipid lowering by culture in lipoprotein-depleted serum increased SREBP-1 levels, GIRK1 expression, and IKACh activation. Regulation of the GIRK1 promoter by SREBP-1 and lipid lowering was dependent on interaction with 2 tandem sterol response elements and an upstream E-box motif. Expression of dominant negative SREBP-1 (DN–SREBP-1) reversed the effect of lipid lowering on IKACh and GIRK1. In SREBP-1 knockout mice, both the response of the heart to parasympathetic stimulation and the expression of GIRK1 were reduced compared with WT. IKACh, attenuated in atrial myocytes from SREBP-1 knockout mice, was stimulated by SREBP-1 expression. Following myocardial infarction, SREBP-1 knockout mice were twice as likely as WT mice to develop ventricular tachycardia in response to programmed ventricular stimulation. These results demonstrate a relationship between lipid metabolism and parasympathetic response that may play a role in arrhythmogenesis.
Authors
Ho-Jin Park, Serban P. Georgescu, Chuang Du, Christopher Madias, Mark J. Aronovitz, C. Michael Welzig, Bo Wang, Ulrike Begley, Yali Zhang, Robert O. Blaustein, Richard D. Patten, Richard H. Karas, Herbert H. Van Tol, Timothy F. Osborne, Hitoshi Shimano, Ronglih Liao, Mark S. Link, Jonas B. Galper
Figure 2
Cis-acting elements required for SREBP regulation of the GIRK1 promoter.
Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)