Barnes_2011_J.Biol.Chem_286_32899

Current therapy for asthma is highly effective. beta(2)-Adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) agonists are the most effective bronchodilators and relax airway smooth muscle cells through increased cAMP concentrations and directly opening large conductance Ca(2+) channels. beta(2)AR may also activate alternative signaling pathways that may have detrimental effects in asthma. Glucocorticoids are the most effective anti-inflammatory treatments and switch off multiple activated inflammatory genes through recruitment of histone deacetylase-2, activating anti-inflammatory genes, and through increasing mRNA stability of inflammatory genes. There are beneficial molecular interactions between beta(2)AR and glucocorticoid-activated pathways. Understanding these signaling pathways may lead to even more effective therapies in the future.