Serotonin 5-HT₂ Receptors: Molecular and Genomic Diversity

Abstract

Genetic and molecular events regulate the creation of variants of 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors whose diversity has important functional significance. Overall sequence identity between the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors is quite high and it is not surprising that the mechanisms of regulation for these two receptors are similar. There is, however, one striking difference: RNA editing, a mechanism for generating molecular diversity by altering the genetic code at the level of RNA. The 5-HT2C receptor is the only G protein–coupled receptor known to be edited. We examine the process of editing, as well as more common genetic modifications, at the cellular level and in human disease.