NIMA-Related Kinase-7 Activates Atrial Cardiomyocyte NLRP3 Inflammasome and Associates With Occurrence of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation.

Although inflammatory-signaling has emerged as a novel unifying-principle of atrial fibrillation (AF), the upstream regulators of proarrhythmic inflammation in atrial cardiomyocytes (Atrial-CM) are poorly understood–. Postoperative AF (poAF) is a common complication after open-heart surgery driven largely by enhanced proinflammatory-signaling through NLRP3 (NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-binding protein-3) inflammasome. NEK7 (NIMA-related kinase-7) critically controls the oligomerization (activation) of NLRP3-inflammasome components in immune cells, with unknown roles in atrial arrhythmogenesis. Here, we determined whether NEK7 is required for NLRP3-inflammasome activation in Atrial-CM and poAF-prone patients.