Quantitative modelling of effect of transverse-axial tubular system on electrical activity of cardiac cells: development of model

The transverse-axial tubular system (TAT-system) of cardiac muscle is a structure that allows rapid propagation of excitation into the cell interior. As suggested in many recent experimental works, it could have a significant effect on cardiac cell function induced by the accumulation or the depletion of ions in restricted tubular space. In our previous work [27], the basic properties of TAT-system were formulated and preliminary simulations characterizing its effect on cellular electrical activity realised. In this article, we describe the design of a more complex model of ventricular myocyte based mostly on data from guinea pig. The model integrates the description of electrical activity of surface and tubular membranes with the detailed description of mechanisms controlling the intracellular and tubular ion concentrations