Induction of cardiac contractility, although desirable for restoring heart function, often has long-term detrimental effects. From studies on RKIP, an upstream regulator of β-adrenergic receptor signaling, Schmid et al. show that cardiac contractility in mice can be increased in a well-tolerated manner through the balanced activation of the β1 and β2 subtypes of the adrenergic receptor.
- Evelyn Schmid
- Stefan Neef
- Kristina Lorenz