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β-adrenergic signaling in heart failure—adapt or die

Nature Medicine volume 14, pages 485–487 (2008)Cite this article

About 25% of the African-American population carries a gene variant that seems to protect against heart failure. The findings may have implications for the use of β-blockers (pages 510–517).

A report in this issue of Nature Medicine1 identifies a gene variant that seems to protect against the progression of heart failure. The gene, GRK5, encodes a G protein–coupled receptor kinase (GRK) that participates in signaling through β-adrenergic receptors, the targets of β-blockers. The protective gene variant, identified in one quarter of the African-American population, was associated with improved survival in individuals with chronic heart failure.

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Figure 1: Vicious cycle in heart failure.

Kim Caesar

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  1. Thomas Eschenhagen is at the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. t.eschenhagen@uke.uni-hamburg.de,

    Thomas Eschenhagen

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Eschenhagen, T. β-adrenergic signaling in heart failure—adapt or die. Nat Med 14, 485–487 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0508-485

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