Gene behind special type of heart attack identified

Scientists have identified a gene variant that predisposes people to a special type of heart attack.
The research by The University of Manchester and medical institutes in Italy could lead to development of new drugs to treat the problem.
"Heart attacks happen when the blood supply to the heart is reduced by the narrowing or blocking of the coronary artery - the vessel that supplies the heart with oxygen and nutrients. Often this is due to fatty deposits which narrow the vessel," said Dr Paolo Tammaro, who led the team.
"However, in some people with perfectly clean arteries, the vessel suddenly constricts shutting off the blood supply. We have discovered that this process, known as vasospasm, can be associated with a rare variant of a particular gene," Tammaro said.

"We knew that this type of heart attack occurs in about 6 per cent of patients and that many of them have a genetic predisposition, but we did not know the gene responsible," said Dr Enzo Emanuele, from the University of Pavia, who screened the patients.
"Now that it is identified it will be possible to predict who is at risk and to treat them accordingly," Emanuele said.

The gene identified by the team encodes a protein termed KATP channel. This protein forms microscopic gated pores that allow potassium ions to move into and out of the cells, in this way giving rise to electrical impulses.

"These channels are abundant in the cells forming the wall of coronary arteries, and the electrical impulses they generate govern this artery's diameter," said Tammaro and research scientist Keith Smith, both based at the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester.
"Due to the mutation we have identified, the KATP channel in the coronary artery can no longer fulfil this delicate process," they said.
The research was published in the International Journal of Cardiology.