Mechanosensitive cells in the atrium of frog heart.

Mechanosensitive cells were found in the sinus venosus and right atrium of the frog heart. Their intracellular membrane potentials were studied in spontaneously beating hearts and in artificially stretched preparations. Membrane resistance was indirectly proportional to the stretch applied. The electrophysiological data and distribution of these cells in the heart led to the conclusion that they are cardiac fibroblasts.