Two subtypes of -adrenoceptors, 1 and 2, mediate cardiac catecholamine effects. These two types differ qualitatively, e.g., regarding G protein coupling and calcium channel stimulation. Transgenic mice overexpressing human 2-adrenoceptors survive high-expression levels, unlike mice overexpressing 1-adrenoceptors. We examined the role of inhibitory Gi proteins, known to be activated by 2-but not 1-adrenoceptors, on the chronic effects of human 2-adrenoreceptor overexpression in transgenic mice. These mice were crossbred with mice where G␣i2, a functionally important cardiac Gi ␣-subunit, was inactivated by targeted gene deletion. Survival of 2-adrenoreceptor transgenic mice was reduced by heterozygous inactivation of G␣i2. Homozygous knockout͞2-adrenoreceptor transgenic mice died within 4 days after birth. Heterozygous knockout͞2-adrenoreceptor transgenic mice developed more pronounced cardiac hypertrophy and earlier heart failure compared with 2-adrenoreceptor transgenic mice. Single calcium-channel activity was strongly suppressed in heterozygous knockout͞2-adrenoreceptor transgenic mice. In cardiomyocytes from these mice, pertussis toxin treatment in vitro fully restored channel activity and enhanced channel activity in cells from homozygous G␣i2 knockout animals. Cardiac G␣i3 protein was increased in all G␣i2 knockout mouse strains. Our results demonstrate that G␣i2 takes an essential protective part in chronic signaling of overexpressed 2-adrenoceptors, leading to prolonged survival and delayed cardiac pathology. However, reduction of calcium-channel activity by 2-adrenoreceptor overexpression is due to a different pertussis-toxin-sensitive pathway, most likely by G␣i3. This result indicates that subtype-specific signaling of 2-adrenoreceptor functionally bifurcates at the level of Gi, leading to different effects depending on the G␣ isoform.L-type calcium channel ͉ single channel recording ͉ mouse genetics ͉ survival curve ͉ pertussis toxin C ardiac stimulatory catecholamine effects are mediated by both  1 -and  2 -adrenergic receptors (-adrenoceptors), mainly through cAMP-dependent protein kinase A-catalyzed phosphorylation of cardiac proteins involved in calcium homeostasis, such as phospholamban and the L-type calcium channel. Evidently, this pathway is compromised in heart failure. Because of the clear-cut evidence that  2 -adrenoceptors mediate acute functional effects in human cardiomyocyte in vitro (1, 2) and in vivo (3), a rationale for  2 -adrenoreceptor gene therapy exists (4-6). Whether and where  2 -adrenoreceptor stimulation or inhibition, by pharmacological or genetic means, will have its place in heart failure therapy is an open question (7-9).Inherent in the clinical discussion is recent molecular insight into differences between cardiac  1 -and  2 -adrenoreceptor stimulation at the signal-transduction level (10, 11). In rat cardiomyocytes, a  2 -agonist, zinterol, was shown to increase calcium current in a manner qualitatively distinct from  1 -adrenoreceptor stimu...