How does flecainide impact RyR2 channel function?

Flecainide, a cardiac class 1C blocker of the surface membrane sodium channel (Na(V)1.5), has also been reported to reduce cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2)-mediated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release. It has been introduced as a clinical antiarrhythmic agent for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a condition most commonly associated with gain-of-function RyR2 mutations. Current debate concerns both cellular mechanisms of its antiarrhythmic action and molecular mechanisms of its RyR2 actions. At the cellular level, it targets Na(V)1.5, RyR2, Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange (NCX), and additional proteins involved in excitation–contraction (EC) coupling and potentially contribute to the CPVT phenotype. This Viewpoint primarily addresses the various direct molecular actions of flecainide on isolated RyR2 channels in artificial lipid bilayers. Such studies demonstrate different, multifarious, flecainide binding sites on RyR2, with voltage-dependent binding in the channel pore or voltage-independent binding at distant peripheral sites. In contrast to its single Na(V)1.5 pore binding site, flecainide may bind to at least four separate inhibitory sites on RyR2 and one activation site. None of these binding sites have been specifically located in the linear RyR2 sequence or high-resolution structure. Furthermore, it is not clear which of the inhibitory sites contribute to flecainide’s reduction of spontaneous Ca(2+) release in cellular studies. A confounding observation is that flecainide binding to voltage-dependent inhibition sites reduces cation fluxes in a direction opposite to physiological Ca(2+) flow from SR lumen to cytosol. This may suggest that, rather than directly blocking Ca(2+) efflux, flecainide can reduce Ca(2+) efflux by blocking counter currents through the pore which otherwise limit SR membrane potential change during systolic Ca(2+) efflux. In summary, the antiarrhythmic effects of flecainide in CPVT seem to involve multiple components of EC coupling and multiple actions on RyR2. Their clarification may identify novel specific drug targets and facilitate flecainide’s clinical utilization in CPVT.