The third intracellular loop of the 5-hydroxytryptamine2A receptor determines effector coupling specificity.

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors contain seven putative transmembrane domains and couple via different guanine nucleotide binding proteins to specific effector enzymes. Studies with other receptors identify the second and third intracellular loops or the C-terminus of the receptor as important for selective effector coupling. However, it is not known which regions of the 5-HT receptor determine effector coupling specificity. To address this question, we constructed a chimeric 5-HT receptor in which the third intracellular (i3) loop is derived from the 5-HT2A receptor, which is coupled to activation of phospholipase C, and the rest of the sequence is derived from the 5-HT1B receptor, which is coupled to inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. The chimeric receptor exhibited ligand binding properties similar to those of the 5-HT1B receptor and distinct from those of the 5-HT2A receptor. This suggests that the i3 loop is not critical for the unique pharmacology of the 5-HT1B receptor. In contrast, the chimeric receptor exhibited signaling properties similar to those of the 5-HT2A receptor and distinct from those of the 5-HT1B receptor. This indicates that the i3 loop determines the effector coupling specificity of the 5-HT2A receptor.