An altered thyroid hormone profile has been reported in patients with congestive 
heart failure. However, information regarding the status of thyroid hormone 
receptors in human failing cardiomyocytes is lacking. Therefore the expression 
of thyroid hormone and beta-adrenergic receptors was investigated in human 
ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from patients with end-stage heart failure 
(FM, n=12), or from tentative donors (C, n=4). The expression of thyroid 
(TRalpha1, and TRbeta1) and beta-adrenergic receptors (ARB1 and ARB2) was 
measured at both the gene, and at the protein level. In FM the reduced mRNA 
expression of ARB1 (p<0.05, -37%) and ARB2 (p<0.05, -42%) was associated with a 
reduction of the messenger for TRalpha1 (p<0.05, -85%) and TRalpha2 (p<0.05, 
-73%). These findings were confirmed at the protein level for ARB1, ARB2 and 
TRalpha1. These data reveal that in human heart failure the reduction of 
beta-adrenergic receptors is associated with reduced expression of both TRalpha1 
and TRalpha2 isoforms of thyroid hormone receptors.