Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of the Rabbit Atrioventricular Conduction Axis by Combining Histological, Desmin, and Connexin Mapping Data

Abstract

Key findings of the present study are the demonstration of a distinct anatomical border between transitional and atrial cells, connection between transitional cells and both lower nodal cells and posterior nodal extension, and distinctive connexin expression patterns in different compartments of the rabbit atrioventricular conduction axis. These features, synthesized in a novel 3D model, provide a structural framework for the interpretation of nodal function.