Novel brain-specific 5-HT4 receptor splice variants show marked constitutive activity: role of the C-terminal intracellular domain

Mol Pharmacol. 1999 May;55(5):910-20.

Abstract

We have cloned new 5-Hydroxytryptamine 4 (5-HT4) receptor splice variants from mouse (m5-HT4(e)R and m5-HT4(f)R), rat (r5-HT4(e)R), and human brain tissue (h5-HT4(e)R) which differ, as do the previously described 5-HT4 receptor variants, in the length and composition of their intracellular C termini after the common splicing site (L358). These new variants have a unique C-terminal sequence made of two PV repeats and are only expressed in brain tissue. All of the 5-HT4 receptor splice variants have a high constitutive activity when expressed at low and physiological densities (<500 fmol/mg protein). At similar density, they showed a much higher constitutive activity than the native and the mutated beta2-adrenergic receptors. The constitutive activity of the new splice variants with short C-terminal sequences (m5-HT4(e)R and m5-HT4(f)R) was higher than that of the long C-terminal sequence variants (m5-HT4(a)R and m5-HT4(b)R). This may indicate that the short variants have a higher capacity for isomerization from the inactive to the active conformation. Moreover, we further identified a sequence within the C-terminal tail upstream of L358, rich in serine and threonine residues, that played a crucial role in maintaining 5-HT4R under its inactive conformation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Animals
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cyclic AMP / biosynthesis
  • Gene Deletion
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Protein Conformation
  • Rats
  • Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / genetics
  • Receptors, Serotonin / chemistry
  • Receptors, Serotonin / genetics*
  • Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT4
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Serotonin / metabolism

Substances

  • Receptors, Adrenergic, beta
  • Receptors, Serotonin
  • Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT4
  • Serotonin
  • Cyclic AMP