Surface electrocardiogram and action potential in mice lacking urea transporter UT-B

UT-B is a urea transporter protein expressed in the kidney and in many non-renal tissues including erythrocytes, brain, heart, bladder and the testis. The objective of this study was to determine the phenotype of UT-B deletion in the heart. UT-B expression in the heart was studied in wild-type mice vs UT-B null mice by utilizing RT-PCR and Western blot. A surface electrocardiogram (ECG) recording (lead II) was measured in wild-type mice and UT-B null mice at the ages of 6, 16 and 52 weeks. For the action potential recording, the ventricular myocytes of 16 w mice were isolated and recorded by floating microelectrode method. The sodium current was recorded by the patch clamp technique. RT-PCR and Western blot showed the UT-B expression in the heart of wild-type mice. No UT-B transcript and protein was found in UT-B null mice. The ECG recording showed that the P-R interval was significantly prolonged in UT-B null mice ((43.5 ± 4.2), (45.5 ± 6.9) and (43.8 ± 7.6) ms at ages of 6, 16 and 52 weeks) vs wild-type mice ((38.6 ± 2.9), (38.7 ± 5.6) and (38.2 ± 7.3) ms, P <0.05). The atrial ventricular heart block type II and III only appeared in the aging UT-B null mice (52 w old). The amplitude of action potential and V max decreased significantly in UT-B null mice ((92.17 ± 10.56) and (101.89 ± 9.54) mV/s) vs those in wild-type mice (vs (110.51 ± 10.38) and (109.53 ± 10.64) mV/s, P <0.05). The action potential duration at 50% and 90% (APD 50 and APD 90 ) was significantly prolonged in UT-B null mice ((123.83 ± 11.17) and (195.43 ± 16.41) ms) vs that in wild-type mice ((108.27 ± 10.85) and (171.00 ± 15.53) ms, P <0.05). The maximal sodium current decreased significantly in UT-B null mice (−8.80 ± 0.92) nA vs that in wild-type mice ((−5.98 ± 1.07) nA, P <0.05). These results provide the first evidence that UT-B deletion causes progressive heart block in mice.