Overview
- UBC and University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists visualized statin interactions with the RyR1 muscle calcium channel using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy.
- The team observed a sequential three-molecule binding, where one statin primes the closed channel and two additional molecules force it open.
- Keeping the channel open leads to continuous calcium leakage that can injure muscle tissue and help explain common aches and weakness as well as rare severe complications.
- The experiments centered on atorvastatin, and the authors indicate the mechanism could apply across the statin class.
- The structural map outlines targets for modifying statins to preserve cholesterol-lowering benefits while avoiding RyR1 activation, with drug redesign and validation still to come.