Abnormal cardiac repolarization and impulse initiation in German shepherd dogs with inherited ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death.

OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that delayed afterdepolarization (DAD)-associated rhythms in German shepherd dogs with reduced anteroseptal left ventricular (LV) sympathetic innervation derive from abnormal beta-adrenergic receptor effector coupling. METHODS AND RESULTS In anteroseptal LV midmyocardium of afflicted dogs, beta-receptor density was greater than that in normal dogs (P < .05), with affinity being equal in both groups. Basal and maximum isoproterenol (ISO) stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity of anteroseptal LV of afflicted dogs was greater than that in normal dogs (P < .05). Isolated anteroseptal M cell preparations of afflicted dogs studied with microelectrodes showed abnormal lengthening, rather than shortening of action potential duration in response to ISO, as well as a 61% incidence of 10(-7) mol/l ISO-induced triggered activity as compared to 12% in normals (P < .05). In contrast, there was no difference between afflicted and control dogs in triggered activity, beta-receptors or adenylyl cyclase activity in a normally innervated region of the ventricles. CONCLUSION In this model there is an increase in beta-receptor density and beta-adrenergic stimulation of adenylyl cyclase and of triggered activity in anteroseptal myocardium but not in a normally innervated region of the heart. Hence, abnormal beta-adrenergic signal transduction appears associated with the neural abnormality identified in dogs with inherited VT.