Beta-adrenergic receptors, from their discovery and characterization through their manipulation to beneficial clinical application.

β-Adrenergic receptors (β-AR) are central to the overall regulation of cardiac function. From the first proposed receptor/transmitter concept to the latest clinical β-blocker trials β-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 β-AR and their modulation with their associated guanine-nucleotide regulatory protein/adenylylcyclasesignal transduction pathways.