The authors published a well-designed study that revealed a nonsynonymous polymorphism in the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (i.e., leucine is substituted for glutamine at position 41) which they showed confers a "natural genetic beta-blockade." Individuals that carry this variant (GRK5-Leu41) have an increased survival rate against cardiac failure and ischemia when compared to those without the protective mutation when no betaAR antagonists are administered. The gene discussed is GRK5; the disease is heart failure.