The adrenergic receptors (subtypes alpha 1, alpha 2, beta 1, and beta 2) are a prototypic family of guanine nucleotide binding regulatory protein-coupled receptors that mediate the physiological effects of the hormone epinephrine and the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Beta-1 adrenoceptors are predominately located in the heart. Specific polymorphisms in this gene have been shown to affect the resting heart rate and can be involved in heart failure. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2019]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that the ADRB1 mRNA was significantly upregulated in ante-mortem burned skin compared to controls, a finding validated by RT-qPCR [Liu et al. DOI:10.1007/s12024-022-00474-5]. Separately, a clinical study in severely burned adult patients found that the ADRB1 gene expression was significantly increased in subcutaneous white adipose tissue at 1-3 and ≥10 days postburn compared to healthy controls, identifying it as the highest expressed β-adrenergic receptor that may drive burn-induced tissue remodeling [Knuth et al. DOI:10.1097/SLA.0000000000005880].