PROTEIN PROFILING OF HUMAN ATRIAL AND VENTRICULAR MUSCULATURE - THE EFFECT OF NORMOXAEMIA AND HYPOXEMIA IN CONGENITAL HEART-DISEASES

Samples of myocardial tissue were obtained during surgical interventio n from children operated for different types of congenital heart disea se (tetralogy of Fallot, ventricular and atrial septal defect). Sarcop lasmic, contractile and collagenous proteins were isolated by stepwise extraction from the both right ventricular and atrial musculature. It has been found that: a) the concentration of contractile proteins is significantly higher in the ventricles, b) the concentration of collag enous proteins is significantly higher in the atrium, c) the concentra tion of sarcoplasmic proteins was not different, d) in children with c hronic hypoxia the above atrio-ventricular differences persisted. More over, the proportion of the soluble collagenous fraction in the atria was significantly increased.