β-adrenergic regulation of Ca²⁺ signaling in heart cells

Abstract

β-adrenergic receptors (βARs) play significant roles in regulating Ca²⁺ signaling in cardiac myocytes, thus holding a key function in modulating heart performance. βARs regulate the influx of extracellular Ca²⁺ and the release and uptake of Ca²⁺ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by activating key components such as L-type calcium channels (LTCCs), ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and phospholamban (PLN), mediated by the phosphorylation actions by protein kinase A (PKA). In cardiac myocytes, the presence of β₂AR provides a protective mechanism against potential overstimulation of β₁AR, which may aid in the restoration of cardiac dysfunctions. Understanding the Ca²⁺ regulatory signaling pathways of βARs in cardiac myocytes and the differences among various βAR subtypes are crucial in cardiology and hold great potential for developing treatments for heart diseases.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) / Ca²⁺ signaling / Cardiac myocytes / Compartmentalization

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (92254301, 32230048 and 82270268), the Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation (BK20221358) and the High Level Personnel Project of Jiangsu Province (JSSCBS20210696 and JSSCRC2022472)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 The Author(s)