We have derived a cardiac muscle cell line, designated HL-1, from the AT-1 mouse atrial cardiomyocyte tumor lineage. HL-1 cells can be serially passaged, yet they maintain the ability to contract and retain differentiated cardiac morphological, biochemical, and electrophysiological properties.

HL-1 cells are currently the only cardiomyocyte cell line available that continuously divides and spontaneously contracts while maintaining a differentiated cardiac phenotype. Extensive characterization using microscopic, genetic, immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, and pharmacological techniques has demonstrated how similar HL-1 cells are to primary cardiomyocytes. In the few years that HL-1 cells have been available, they have been used in a variety of model systems designed to answer important questions regarding cardiac biology at the cellular and molecular levels. Whereas HL-1 cells have been used to study normal cardiomyocyte function with regard to signaling, electrical, metabolic, and transcriptional regulation, they have also been used to address pathological conditions such as hypoxia, hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia, apoptosis, and ischemia-reperfusion. The availability of an immortalized, contractile cardiac cell line has provided investigators with a tool for probing the intricacies of cardiomyocyte function. In this review, we describe the culture and characterization of HL-1 cardiomyocytes as well as various model systems that have been developed using these cells to gain a better understanding of cardiac biology at the cellular and molecular levels.

Abstract-Adenosine plays multiple roles in the efficient functioning of the heart by regulating coronary blood flow, cardiac pacemaking, and contractility. Previous studies have implicated the equilibrative nucleoside transporter family member equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (ENT1) in the regulation of cardiac adenosine levels. We report here that a second member of this family, ENT4, is also abundant in the heart, in particular in the plasma membranes of ventricular myocytes and vascular endothelial cells but, unlike ENT1, is virtually absent from the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes. Originally described as a monoamine/organic cation transporter, we found that both human and mouse ENT4 exhibited a novel, pH-dependent adenosine transport activity optimal at acidic pH (apparent K m values 0.78 and 0.13 mmol/L, respectively, at pH 5.5) and absent at pH 7.4. In contrast, serotonin transport by ENT4 was relatively insensitive to pH. ENT4-mediated nucleoside transport was adenosine selective, sodium independent and only weakly inhibited by the classical inhibitors of equilibrative nucleoside transport, dipyridamole, dilazep, and nitrobenzylthioinosine. We hypothesize that ENT4, in addition to playing roles in cardiac serotonin transport, contributes to the regulation of extracellular adenosine concentrations, in particular under the acidotic conditions associated with ischemia. Key Words: nucleoside Ⅲ adenosine Ⅲ transport Ⅲ ischemia Ⅲ pH T he purine nucleoside adenosine is produced by the action of both endo-and ecto-nucleotidases on adenine nucleotides in the heart and plays key roles in the regulation of coronary blood flow and myocardial O 2 supply-demand balance. 1-4 For example, action of adenosine on A 2A receptors on vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells causes coronary vasodilatation. 1,5 In contrast, the negative inotropic and dromotropic effects of adenosine on the heart are mediated primarily by A 1 receptors. 2 Similarly, the negative chromotropic effect of adenosine involves action of A 1 receptors in the sinoatrial (SA) node on the inwardly rectifying potassium channel current I K-Ado and the hyperpolarization-activated pacemaker current I f . 2,6 Endogenous adenosine, acting on mitochondrial K ATP channels via A 1 and A 3 receptors, also makes a major contribution to the phenomenon of ischemic preconditioning. 5,7 Extracellular adenosine concentrations in the heart are governed both by action of ecto-5Ј-nucleotidase on adenine nucleotides released from cells and by transporter-mediated flux of adenosine across cell membranes. 3,4 Although most adenosine production occurs intracellularly, under normoxic conditions, metabolism maintains a low intracellular concentration and, therefore, the net flux of adenosine is into cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells. Under such conditions, administration of transport inhibitors increases extracellular concentrations of adenosine, leading to vasodilatation. 8 However, increased adenine nucleotide breakdown and inhibition of adenosine kinase duri...