The ₂-adrenergic receptor (₂-AR) negatively regulates T cell activity through the activation of the G_s/adenylyl cyclase/cAMP pathway. ₂-AR desensitization, which can be induced by its phosphorylation, may have important consequences for the regulation of T cell function in asthma. In the present study we demonstrate that the C-C chemokine thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) impairs the ability of ₂-agonist fenoterol to activate the cAMP downstream effector cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) in freshly isolated human T cells. The TARC-induced activation of Src kinases resulted in membrane translocation of both GRK2 and -arrestin. Moreover, TARC was able to induce Src-dependent serine phosphorylation of the ₂-AR as well as its association with GRK2 and -arrestin. Finally, in contrast to CREB, phosphorylation of Src and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was enhanced by fenoterol upon TARC pretreatment. In summary, we show for the first time that TARC exposure impairs ₂-AR function in T cells. Our data suggest that this is mediated by Src-dependent activation of GRK2, resulting in receptor phosphorylation, binding to -arrestin and a switch from cAMP-dependent signaling to activation of the MAPK pathway. We propose that aberrant T cell control in the presence of endogenous -agonists promotes T cell-mediated inflammation in asthma.