This is the readme.txt for the models associated with the paper Silva J, Rudy Y. Subunit interaction determines IKs participation in cardiac repolarization and repolarization reserve. Circulation 2005;112:1384-91. The results reproduce Figure 3C in the paper. Abstract: BACKGROUND: The role of IKs, the slow delayed rectifier K+ current, in cardiac ventricular repolarization has been a subject of debate. METHODS AND RESULTS: We develop a detailed Markov model of IKs and its alpha-subunit KCNQ1 and examine their kinetic properties during the cardiac ventricular action potential at different rates. We observe that interaction between KCNQ1 and KCNE1 (the beta-subunit) confers kinetic properties on IKs that make it suitable for participation in action potential repolarization and its adaptation to rate changes; in particular, the channel develops an available reserve of closed states near the open state that can open rapidly on demand. CONCLUSIONS: Because of its ability to form an available reserve, IKs can function as a repolarization reserve when IKr, the rapid delayed rectifier, is reduced by disease or drug and can prevent excessive action potential prolongation and development of arrhythmogenic early afterdepolarizations. ----------------------------------------- These kinetic parameters are shown in Data supplement of the paper: To run the models: XPP: start with the command xpp ode\IKs_Mar.ode To make a trace similar to one in fig 3C of the paper: Mouse click on Initialconds, and then (G)o. To run the full family of voltage-clamp traces, click Range over, change the value to vtest_1. Similarly set Steps:10, Start:-50, End:60, Reset Storage:N, Cycle color:y, and click Ok. This produces a graph like: To run deactivation protocol, please change the value to vtest_2. and then select a voltage protocol from Steps, Start and End. Regarding xpp program, please contact with Bard Ermentrout's website http://www.pitt.edu/~phase/, which describes how to get and use xpp. The model files were submitted by: Dr. Sheng-Nan Wu, Han-Dong Chang, Jiun-Shian Wu Department of Physiology National Cheng Kung University Medical College Tainan 70101, Taiwan snwu@mail.ncku.edu.tw