Cardiac‐specific overexpression of caveolin‐3 preserves t‐tubular ICa during heart failure in mice

New Findings What is the central question of this study? What is the cellular basis of the protection conferred on the heart by overexpression of caveolin‐3 (Cav‐3 OE) against many of the features of heart failure normally observed in vivo? What is the main finding and its importance? Cav‐3 overexpression has little effect in normal ventricular myocytes but reduces cellular hypertrophy and preserves t‐tubular I Ca, but not local t‐tubular Ca2+ release, in heart failure induced by pressure overload in mice. Thus Cav‐3 overexpression provides specific but limited protection following induction of heart failure, although other factors disrupt Ca2+ release.