Association of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels and atrial fibrillation - How far have we gone?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained and most important arrhythmia in clinical practice. The mechanisms underlying AF initiation and maintenance are known to be complex and heterogeneous. The general understanding of the detailed molecular basis of AF is still incomplete. Recently, these is increasing evidence that small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels are associated with atrial action potential repolarization and the pathogenesis of AF. Although the functional role of SK channels in the genesis of AF is not entirely clear, new insights into the basic pathophysiological mechanism of AF have been provided. Besides, genome-wide association studies also implicate that genes coding for SK channels are related to the risk of developing AF. This article reviews recent work on the association of SK channels and AF, genetic studies of SK channels, and discuss future investigation and developments regarding this field.