The Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase Pump: Regulation and Physiological Function in Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle
Sponsored by APS Muscle Biology Group
Channels and Transporters Track

It is well established that the Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase pump transports three Na⁺ out and two potassium in the cytosol to maintain the concentration gradient of both ions. The maintenance of the Na⁺ and K⁺ gradients is crucial for the proper generation of action potentials in cardiac and skeletal muscle, especially during the stress imposed by an increased muscle activity. Professor Torben Clausen, from Aarhus University, has increased tremendously our knowledge on the properties and physiological function of the Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase pump in skeletal muscle. Professor Torben is about to retire and this symposium is dedicated for his superb work in this field.

Three of the proposed speakers are well known in the field of the Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase pump. Professor Torben himself will focus on the regulation, functional and clinical implications of the pump in skeletal muscle while Dr. Shattock and Bers will discuss the regulation of the pump in cardiac muscle. The fourth speaker, Dr. Sejersted, is well known for his work not only on the pump but also on the role of Na⁺ and K⁺ on muscle contractility. His presentation on Na⁺ in the control of force will therefore be complementary to the discussion of the Na⁺ K⁺ pump.