Sixteen cats were studied to test the hypothesis that oxygen chemoreception in the cat aortic body is dependent on the beta-adrenergic mechanism. The chemoreceptor activity was measured from a few aortic chemoreceptor afferents in each cat, anesthetized with alpha-chloralose (60 mg X kg-1). Three types of experiments were conducted. Aortic chemoreceptor responses to steady-state hypoxia (PaO2 range, 100-30 Torr) were measured (a) before and during intravenous infusion of the beta-receptor agonist, isoproterenol (0.5 micrograms X kg-1) in nine spontaneously breathing cats, and (b) before and after intravenous injection of the beta-receptor antagonist, propranolol (1 mg X kg-1) in seven cats which were paralyzed and artificially ventilated. In the third category (c) the stimulatory effect of hypotension on aortic chemoreceptor activity was measured in six of the seven cats in group (b) before and after propranolol injection. Isoproterenol infusion only moderately stimulated aortic chemoreceptor activity. This stimulation was blocked by propranolol. However, propranolol did not attenuate aortic chemoreceptor responses to hypoxia or to hypotension. We conclude that the beta-receptor adrenergic mechanism does not mediate oxygen chemoreception in the cat aortic body.