Signal transduction by G proteins in cardiac tissues.

The role of G proteins in mediating the responses of the heart to circulating catecholamines and to the influences of the autonomic nervous system is of special interest to cardiologists. It is evident that G proteins are essential links in the cascade of biochemical events that ensure when neurotransmitters and hormones interact with receptors on myocardial cells. It is likely [corrected] that dysfunction of G proteins plays a role in cardiovascular pathophysiology. With current methodologies, especially molecular biological and recombinant DNA techniques, and with transgenic animal models that can relate physiological function and specific gene dosage, some cardiovascular diseases may be traced to G protein-related defects.