Serotonin Receptor Antibody Explorer Kit

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) plays unequivocally a most important role in the normal physiology amongst higher eukaryotes, as do most neurotransmitters. The physiological roles of serotonin and its receptors range from appetite, regulation of the circadian rhythm, sexual behavior, memory and nociception. Serotonin is also involved in migraine and some psychiatric diseases such as depression anxiety and aggression¹. Serotonin and its receptors also have an influence on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary systems².

The 5-HT1 receptor class comprises of five different receptors (5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT1D, 5-HT1e AND 5-HT1F) which share 41-63% overall sequence identity and couple preferentially to G_i/G_o to inhibit cAMP formation³.

The 5-HT2 family consists of three G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs): 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C⁴. They are transmembrane proteins consisting of seven membrane-spanning α-helical segments with an extracellular N-terminus and an intracellular C-terminus. The binding of 5-HT to one of its receptors is thought to elicit a conformational change that activates associated heterotrimeric G proteins and recruits other downstream signaling/scaffolding molecules, such as GPCR kinases and β-arrestins⁴.

5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 4 (5-HT4 receptors) are a subclass among the large family of receptors mediating serotonin actions at central and peripheral targets. 5-HT4 receptor activation has been implicated in learning and memory, feeding control and stress response. 5-HT4 receptors are encoded by a complex gene which in humans, generates ten different splice variants^5,6.
There are currently two known receptors in the 5-HT5 family. The function of these receptors is far from fully understood and it is unclear with which G-protein they couple. The 5-HT5B gene has been mapped in the human genome but its sequence does not produce a functional gene and no physiological response was found to correspond with its activity⁷.