| Literature DB >> 18597859 |
Anders A Jensen1, Paul A Davies, Hans Bräuner-Osborne, Karen Krzywkowski.
Abstract
The 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) receptor is expressed widely in the central and peripheral nervous systems, where it mediates or modulates a wide range of physiological processes. The receptor is targeted by drugs administered for nausea and/or emesis and irritable bowel syndrome and has been proposed as a potential drug target in various psychiatric disorders. The 5-HT3 receptor is a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel and belongs to the Cys-loop receptor family. In contrast to the immense heterogeneity characterizing other Cysloop receptors, native 5-HT3 receptors historically have been considered a much more homogenous receptor population. However, the recent discovery of additional 5-HT3 subunits and the dawning realization that central and peripheral 5-HT3 receptor populations might comprise several subtypes characterized by distinct functional properties has emphasized the complexity of human 5-HT3 receptor signaling. In this review potential implications of these findings and of the entirely new layer of interindividual diversity introduced to the 5-HT3 receptor system by genetic variations will be outlined.Entities:
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Year: 2008 PMID: 18597859 PMCID: PMC4116748 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2008.06.001
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Trends Pharmacol Sci ISSN: 0165-6147 Impact factor: 14.819