KCNJ12 and heart disorder: Expression of this gene is decreased in hearts with dilated cardiomyopathy in comparison to healthy controls, making decreases in KCNJ12 expression either a consequence of the disease or a potential mediator of it.50 Interestingly, nongenetic dilated cardiomyopathy is a more common phenotype seen in men with HF.5 Taken together, these results indicate that sex differences in ion channel expression in cardiac health could be mediators of sex differences in cardiac disease.