Aim: The enhancement of intracellular Ca2+ signaling in response to α1-adrener-gic receptor (α1-AR) stimulation is an essential signal transduction event in the regulation of cardiac functions, such as cardiac growth, cardiac contraction, and cardiac adaptation to various situations. The present study was intended to determine the role(s) of the α1-AR subtype(s) in mediating this response. Methods: We evaluated the effects of subtype-specific agonists and antagonists of the α1- AR on the intracellular Ca2+ signaling of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes using a confocal microscope. Results: After being cultured for 48 h, the myocytes exhibited spontaneous local Ca2+ release, sparks, and global Ca2+ transients. The activation of the α1-AR with phenylephrine, a selective agonist of the α1-AR, dose-dependently increased the frequency of Ca2+ transients with an EC50 value of 2.3 μmol/L. Blocking the α1A-AR subtype with 5-methyhirapidil (5-Mu) inhi-bited the stimulatory effect of phenylephrine with an IC50 value of 6.7 nmol/L. In contrast, blockade of the α1B-AR and α1D-AR subtypes with chloroethylclonidine and BMY 7378, respectively, did not affect the phenylephrine effect. Similarly, the local Ca2+ spark numbers were also increased by the activation of theα1-AR, and this effect could be abolished selectively by 5-Mu. More importantly, A61603, a novel selective α1A-AR agonist, mimicked the effects of phenylephrine, but with more potency (EC50 value =6.9 nmol/L) in the potentiation of Ca2+ transients, and blockade of the α1A-AR by 5-Mu caused abolishment of its effects. Conclusion: These results indicate that α1-adrenergic stimulation of intracellular Ca2+ activity is mediated selectively by the α1A-AR.