Abstract
In situations of stress the heart beats faster and stronger. According to Marks and colleagues, this response is, to a large extent, the consequence of facilitated Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores via ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2), thought to be due to catecholamine-induced increases in RyR2 phosphorylation at serine 2808 (S2808). If catecholamine stimulation is sustained (for example, as occurs in heart failure), RyR2 becomes hyperphosphorylated and “leaky,” leading to arrhythmias and other pathology. This “leaky RyR2 hypothesis” is highly controversial. In this issue of the JCI, Marks and colleagues report on two new mouse lines with mutations in S2808 that provide strong evidence supporting their theory. Moreover, the experiments revealed an influence of redox modifications of RyR2 that may account for some discrepancies in the field.
Authors
Thomas Eschenhagen
Overview of the controversy about the role of RyR2 phosphorylation in cardiac function under normal and disease conditions: FKBP12.6 binding in CPVT, effect of FKBP12.6 on RyR2 open probability, and the effect of oxidation and nitrosylation on RyR2 open probability and FKBP12.6 binding
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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)