Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in many psychiatric diseases. In humans, a lack of 5-HT
receptors is associated with serotonin-dependent phenotypes, including impulsivity and suicidality. A ...lack of 5-HT
receptors in mice eliminates the effects of molecules that directly target serotonergic neurons including amphetamine derivative serotonin releasers, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HT
receptors directly and positively regulate raphe serotonin neuron activity. By ex vivo electrophysiological recordings, we report that stimulation by the 5-HT
receptor agonist, BW723C86, increased the firing frequency of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons. Viral overexpression of 5-HT
receptors in these neurons increased their excitability. Furthermore, in vivo 5-HT
-receptor stimulation by BW723C86 counteracted 5-HT
autoreceptor-dependent reduction in firing rate and hypothermic response in wild-type mice. By a conditional genetic ablation that eliminates 5-HT
receptor expression specifically and exclusively from Pet1-positive serotonin neurons (Htr2b
mice), we demonstrated that behavioral and sensitizing effects of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), as well as acute behavioral and chronic neurogenic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine, require 5-HT
receptor expression in serotonergic neurons. In Htr2b
mice, dorsal raphe serotonin neurons displayed a lower firing frequency compared to control Htr2b
mice as assessed by in vivo extracellular recordings and a stronger hypothermic effect of 5-HT
-autoreceptor stimulation was observed. The increase in head-twitch response to DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) further confirmed the lower serotonergic tone resulting from the absence of 5-HT
receptors in serotonin neurons. Together, these observations indicate that the 5-HT
receptor acts as a direct positive modulator of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons in an opposite way as the known 5-HT
-negative autoreceptor.
Serotonergic dysfunction is mainly associated with neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular disorders but has also been linked with many other pathological conditions. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, ...5-HT) mediates numerous physiological functions in the brain and the periphery by activating a variety of receptors. 5-HT receptors are divided into four classes, three of which belong to the G protein-coupled receptor family. This review provides an overview of the recent pharmacological developments involving the Gq-coupled 5-HT2 receptor subfamily as well as the pathological implications of this receptor subfamily with regard to fibrosis, the central nervous system, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer. The final section highlights new therapeutic opportunities and emerging research revealing unexplored medical opportunities for this class of 5-HT receptors. The development of biased 5-HT2 receptor ligands appears to be an interesting topic in various areas. In light of recent discoveries, the need for the development of new and safer drugs should take into account the risk of cardiovascular side effects such as pulmonary hypertension and heart valve disease.
Severe peripheral infections induce an adaptive sickness behavior and an innate immune reaction in various organs including the brain. On the long term, persistent alteration of microglia, the brain ...innate immune cells, is associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. It is thus critical to identify genes and mechanisms controlling the intensity and duration of the neuroinflammation induced by peripheral immune challenges. We tested the hypothesis that the 5‐HT2B receptor, the main serotonin receptor expressed by microglia, might represent a valuable candidate. First, we observed that Htr2b−/− mice, knock‐out for the 5‐HT2B receptor gene, developed, when exposed to a peripheral lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge, a stronger weight loss compared to wild‐type mice; in addition, comparison of inflammatory markers in brain, 4 and 24 hr after LPS injection, showed that Htr2b deficiency leads to a prolonged neuroinflammation. Second, to assess the specific contribution of the microglial 5‐HT2B receptor, we investigated the response to LPS of conditional knock‐out mice invalidated for Htr2b in microglia only. We found that deletion of Htr2b in microglia since birth is sufficient to cause enhanced weight loss and increased neuroinflammatory response upon LPS injection at adult stage. In contrast, mice deleted for microglial Htr2b in adulthood responded normally to LPS, revealing a neonatal developmental effect. These results highlight the role of microglia in the response to a peripheral immune challenge and suggest the existence of a developmental, neonatal period, during which instruction of microglia through 5‐HT2B receptors is necessary to prevent microglia overreactivity in adulthood.
Main Points
Lack of 5‐HT2B receptor in microglia since birth sensitizes to the neuroinflammation induced by a peripheral LPS injection in adulthood.
This effect is not observed if the gene is invalidated in adulthood, suggesting a neonatal critical period for instruction of microglia by 5‐HT.
Maturation of functional neuronal circuits during central nervous system development relies on sophisticated mechanisms. First, axonal and dendritic growth should reach appropriate targets for ...correct synapse elaboration. Second, pruning and neuronal death are required to eliminate redundant or inappropriate neuronal connections. Serotonin, in addition to its role as a neurotransmitter, actively participates in postnatal establishment and refinement of brain wiring in mammals. Brain resident macrophages, that is, microglia, also play an important role in developmentally regulated neuronal death as well as in synaptic maturation and elimination. Here, we tested the hypothesis of cross-regulation between microglia and serotonin during postnatal brain development in a mouse model of synaptic refinement. We found expression of the serotonin 5-HT2B receptor on postnatal microglia, suggesting that serotonin could participate in temporal and spatial synchronization of microglial functions. Using two-photon microscopy, acute brain slices, and local delivery of serotonin, we observed that microglial processes moved rapidly toward the source of serotonin in Htr 2B +/+ mice, but not in Htr 2B –/– mice lacking the 5-HT2B receptor. We then investigated whether some developmental steps known to be controlled by serotonin could potentially result from microglia sensitivity to serotonin. Using an in vivo model of synaptic refinement during early brain development, we investigated the maturation of the retinal projections to the thalamus and observed that Htr 2B –/– mice present anatomical alterations of the ipsilateral projecting area of retinal axons into the thalamus. In addition, activation markers were upregulated in microglia from Htr 2B –/– compared to control neonates, in the absence of apparent morphological modifications. These results support the hypothesis that serotonin interacts with microglial cells and these interactions participate in brain maturation.
The amphetamine derivative 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) reverses dopamine and serotonin transporters to produce efflux of dopamine and serotonin, respectively, in regions of the ...brain that have been implicated in reward. However, the role of serotonin/dopamine interactions in the behavioral effects of MDMA remains unclear. We previously showed that MDMA-induced locomotion, serotonin and dopamine release are 5-HT(2B) receptor-dependent. The aim of the present study was to determine the contribution of serotonin and 5-HT(2B) receptors to the reinforcing properties of MDMA.We show here that 5-HT(2B) (-/-) mice do not exhibit behavioral sensitization or conditioned place preference following MDMA (10 mg/kg) injections. In addition, MDMA-induced reinstatement of conditioned place preference after extinction and locomotor sensitization development are each abolished by a 5-HT(2B) receptor antagonist (RS127445) in wild type mice. Accordingly, MDMA-induced dopamine D1 receptor-dependent phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase in nucleus accumbens is abolished in mice lacking functional 5-HT(2B) receptors. Nevertheless, high doses (30 mg/kg) of MDMA induce dopamine-dependent but serotonin and 5-HT(2B) receptor-independent behavioral effects.These results underpin the importance of 5-HT(2B) receptors in the reinforcing properties of MDMA and illustrate the importance of dose-dependent effects of MDMA on serotonin/dopamine interactions.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The putative role of the N-terminal region of rhodopsin-like 7 transmembrane biogenic amine receptors in agonist-induced signaling has not yet been clarified despite recent advances in 7 ...transmembrane receptor structural biology. Given the existence of N-terminal nonsynonymous polymorphisms (R6G;E42G) within the HTR2B gene in a drug-abusing population, we assessed whether these polymorphisms affect 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B (5-HT2B) receptor in vitro pharmacologic and coupling properties in transfected COS-7 cells. Modification of the 5-HT2B receptor N terminus by the R6G;E42G polymorphisms increases such agonist signaling pathways as inositol phosphate accumulation as assessed by either classic or operational models. The N-terminal R6G;E42G mutations of the 5-HT2B receptor also increase cell proliferation and slow its desensitization kinetics compared with the wild-type receptor, further supporting a role for the N terminus in transduction efficacy. Furthermore, by coexpressing a tethered wild-type 5-HT2B receptor N terminus with a 5-HT2B receptor bearing a N-terminal deletion, we were able to restore original coupling. This reversion to normal activity of a truncated 5-HT2B receptor by coexpression of the membrane-tethered wild-type 5-HT2B receptor N terminus was not observed using a membrane-tethered 5-HT2B receptor R6G;E42G N terminus. These data suggest that the N terminus exerts a negative control over basal as well as agonist-stimulated receptor activity that is lost in the R6G;E42G mutant. Our findings reveal a new and unanticipated role of the 5-HT2B receptor N terminus as a negative modulator, affecting both constitutive and agonist-stimulated activity. Moreover, our data caution against excluding the N terminus and extracellular loops in structural studies of this 7 transmembrane receptor family.
The now-banned anorectic molecule, dexfenfluramine, promotes serotonin release through a serotonin transporter-dependent mechanism, and it has been widely prescribed for the treatment of obesity. ...Previous studies have identified that 5-HT(2B) receptors have important roles in dexfenfluramine side effects, that is, pulmonary hypertension, plasma serotonin level regulation, and valvulopathy. We thus investigated a putative contribution of 5-HT(2B) receptors in dexfenfluramine-dependent feeding behavior in mice. Interestingly, the hypophagic response to dexfenfluramine (3-10 mg/kg) observed in wild-type mice (1-4 h) was eliminated in mice lacking 5-HT(2B) receptors (5-HT(2B)(-/-)). These findings were further validated by the lack of hypophagic response to dexfenfluramine in wild-type mice treated with RS127445, a highly selective and potent antagonist (pKi=8.22 ± 0.24). Using microdialysis, we observed that in 5-HT(2B)(-/-) awake mice, the dexfenfluramine-induced hypothalamic peak of serotonin release (1 h) was strongly reduced (fourfold) compared with wild type. Moreover, using hypothalamic synaptosomes, we established the serotonergic neuron autonomous properties of this effect: a strong serotonin release was observed upon dexfenfluramine stimulation of synaptosome preparation from wild type but not from mice lacking active 5-HT(2B) receptors. These findings strongly suggest that activation of presynaptic 5-HT(2B) receptors is a limiting step in the serotonin transporter dependent-releasing effect of dexfenfluramine, whereas other serotonin receptors act downstream with respect to feeding behavior.
Hertz and coworkers used some of our published data on mice to support that fluoxetine and other SSRIs are acting as direct 5-HT2B receptor agonists independently of the serotonin transporter (SERT), ...based on their work on astrocytes. ...it is clear from our experiments in mice that acute or chronic fluoxetine (and paroxetine) cannot act by a direct 5-HT2B receptor stimulation independently of SERT and serotonergic neurons. ...the published evidence for 5-HT2B receptor expression in microglia (Krabbe et al., 2011; Kolodziejczak et al., 2015) add another level of complexity, as the concept of the tripartite synapse has recently been expanded to the monoaminergic systems to explain antidepressant drug responses (Quesseveur et al., 2013).
Early changes in neuroendocrine pathways are essential in the development of metabolic pathologies. Thus, it is important to have a better understanding of the signals involved in their initiation. ...Long-term consumption of high-fat diets induces insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes. Here, we have investigated early neural and endocrine events in the hypothalamus and hippocampus induced by a short-term high fat, low carbohydrate diet in adult male Wistar rats. The release of serotonin, which is closely associated with the actions of insulin and leptin, was measured, by electrochemical detection following reverse-phase liquid chromatography (HPLC), in the extracellular space of the medial hypothalamus and the dorsal hippocampus in samples obtained from non-anesthetized animals, by microdialysis. The high-fat diet had a specific effect on the hypothalamus. Serotonin release induced by food intake was reduced after 1 week, and effectively ceased after 6 weeks of the diet. After 1 week, there was an increased gene expression of the insulin receptor and the insulin receptor substrates IRS1 and IRS2, as measured by real-time PCR. After 6 weeks of diet, insulin gene expression increased. Leptinemia increased in all cases. This new data support the concept that high-fat diets, in addition to have peripheral effects, cause a rapid alteration in specific central mechanisms involved in energy and glucose homeostasis. The changes in the gene expression of insulin and signaling elements represent possible adaptations aimed at counterbalancing the reduced responsiveness of the serotonergic system to nutritional signals and maintaining homeostasis.
The therapeutic effects induced by serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are initially triggered by blocking the serotonin transporter and rely on long-term adaptations of ...pre- and post-synaptic receptors. We show here that long-term behavioral and neurogenic SSRI effects are abolished after either genetic or pharmacological inactivation of 5-HT2B receptors. Conversely, direct agonist stimulation of 5-HT2B receptors induces an SSRI-like response in behavioral and neurogenic assays. Moreover, the observation that (i) this receptor is expressed by raphe serotonergic neurons, (ii) the SSRI-induced increase in hippocampal extracellular serotonin concentration is strongly reduced in the absence of functional 5-HT2B receptors and (iii) a selective 5-HT2B agonist mimics SSRI responses, supports a positive regulation of serotonergic neurons by 5-HT2B receptors. The 5-HT2B receptor appears, therefore, to positively modulate serotonergic activity and to be required for the therapeutic actions of SSRIs. Consequently, the 5-HT2B receptor should be considered as a new tractable target in the combat against depression.
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