PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Schwinger, Robert H. G.
AU  - Frank, Konrad F.
TI  - Calcium and the Failing Heart: Phospholamban, Good Guy or Bad Guy?
AID  - 10.1126/stke.2003.180.pe15
DP  - 2003 Apr 29
TA  - Science's STKE
PG  - pe15--pe15
VI  - 2003
IP  - 180
4099  - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2003/180/pe15.short
4100  - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2003/180/pe15.full
SO  - Sci. STKE2003 Apr 29; 2003
AB  - In cardiac cells, phospholamban is a potent inhibitor of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium (Ca2+) transport. Overexpression of mutant forms of phospholamban may result in beneficial or detrimental effects on intracellular Ca2+ handling and cardiac systolic and diastolic function. Mutations in phospholamban have also been linked to human cardiomyopathies, providing important insights into the underlying disease mechanisms and the key role of phospholamban in myocardial excitation-contraction coupling. This Perspective discusses new advances in our understanding of the role of phospholamban in intracellular Ca2+ handling and the development of human and murine cardiomyopathies.