β3-AR and the vertebrate heart: a comparative view

• Published in: Acta Physiologica 2015-06, Vol.214 (2), p.158-175
• Main Authors: Imbrogno, S., Gattuso, A., Mazza, R., Angelone, T., Cerra, M. C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adrenergic beta-Agonists - pharmacology; adrenergic receptors; amphibians; Animals; cardiac performance; Heart - physiology; Humans; mammals; nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-3 - metabolism; Signal Transduction - physiology; teleosts; Vertebrates - metabolism
• ISSN: 1748-1708; 1748-1716
• DOI: 10.1111/apha.12493

Recent cardiovascular research showed that, together with β1‐ and β2‐adrenergic receptors (ARs), β3‐ARs contribute to the catecholamine (CA)‐dependent control of the heart. β3‐ARs structure, function and ligands were investigated in mammals because of their applicative potential in human cardiovascular diseases. Only recently, the concept of a β3‐AR‐dependent cardiac modulation was extended to non‐mammalian vertebrates, although information is still scarce and fragmentary. β3‐ARs were structurally described in fish, showing a closer relationship to mammalian β1‐AR than β2‐AR. Functional β3‐ARs are present in the cardiac tissue of teleosts and amphibians. As in mammals, activation of these receptors elicits a negative modulation of the inotropic performance through the involvement of the endothelium endocardium (EE), Gi/0 proteins and the nitric oxide (NO) signalling. This review aims to comparatively analyse data from literature on β3‐ARs in mammals, with those on teleosts and amphibians. The purpose is to highlight aspects of uniformity and diversity of β3‐ARs structure, ligands activity, function and signalling cascades throughout vertebrates. This may provide new perspectives aimed to clarify the biological relevance of β3‐ARs in the context of the nervous and humoral control of the heart and its functional plasticity.