Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for gene therapy for pulmonary edema by the transfer of a human &bgr;2AR gene to lung epithelial cells for the purpose of improving responsiveness to endogenous catecholamines and increasing active Na+ transport and pulmonary edema clearance in vivo. Recombinant adenoviral vectors mediate the transfer of the &bgr;2AR gene into lung epithelial cells. The vectors employ expression control sequences consisting of viral derived promoter elements linked to cDNAs that express a human &bgr;2AR genes. This gene has been shown to be capable of augmenting the function of transport proteins that generate the transepithelial osmotic gradient responsible for the movement of water across epithelial membranes to increase pulmonary edema clearance in mammalian lungs.