Beta-Adrenergic Receptors, from Their Discovery and Characterization through Their Manipulation to Beneficial Clinical Application

beta-Adrenergic receptors (beta-AR) are central to the overall regulation of cardiac function. From the first proposed receptor/transmitter concept to the latest clinical beta-blocker trials beta-AR have been shown to play an important role in cardiac disease and heart failure in particular. This study provides a historical perspective, reviews the latest discoveries and beliefs, and discusses the current clinical practices of beta-AR and their modulation with their associated guanine-nucleotide regulatory protein/adenylylcyclasesignal transduction pathways. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel