Characterization of human 5-HT1 receptors expressed in Sf9 insect cells.

Four human 5-HT receptor subtypes (5-HT1A, 5-HT1D alpha, 5-HT1D beta and 5-HT1E) have been expressed in Sf9 insect cells. All four human 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors produced by Sf9 cells had the expected pharmacological properties. Surprisingly, levels of expression of these receptors were relatively low (1-5 pmol/mg protein). High affinity agonist binding to the four 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors was reduced to different extents by guanine nucleotides and/or NaCl. This suggests that the nature of receptor-G protein coupling and/or the predominant conformational state of the receptors in Sf9 cell membranes varies among the different receptors. Activation of all four receptors inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation in intact Sf9 cells. Expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors in Sf9 cells should be useful for purification of these receptors, for studies of post-translational modification and for pharmaceutical screening.

Cloning and characterization of the rat 5-HT5B receptor. Evidence that the 5-HT5B receptor couples to a G protein in mammalian cell membranes.

A gene encoding a novel G protein-coupled 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor, termed 5-HT5B, was cloned. The ligand binding profile of this receptor is distinct from that of other cloned 5-HT receptors. The 5-HT5B receptor couples to a G protein in COS1 cell membranes; however, activation of the 5-HT5B receptor does not appear to alter either cAMP accumulation or phosphoinositide turnover in a variety of fibroblast cell lines. In the rat brain, 5-HT5B gene expression occurs predominantly in the medial habenulae and hippocampal CA1 cells of the adult. Little expression is seen during embryonic development.

A single amino acid difference accounts for the pharmacological distinctions between the rat and human 5-hydroxytryptamine1B receptors.

Molecular cloning of the rat and human 5-hydroxytryptamine1B (5-HT1B) receptors has revealed that the primary amino acid sequence of these two receptors is > 90% identical. Despite this high degree of primary sequence homology, these two receptors have significantly different pharmacological properties. A mutant human 5-HT1B receptor was constructed in which Thr355 was replaced by Asn, the corresponding residue at this position in the rat 5-HT1B receptor. The pharmacology of the mutant human 5-HT1B receptor was very similar to that of the rat 5-HT1B receptor. Specifically, the mutant receptor had much higher affinity for pindolol, [125I]-iodocyanopindolol, propranolol, and CP-93,129 than the wild-type receptor. In contrast, the mutant had significantly lower affinity for sumatriptan, N,N-dipropyl-5-carboxamidotryptamine, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, methysergide, metergoline, and rauwolscine. These data suggest that a single amino acid difference at position 355 is responsible for the pharmacological differences between the rat and human 5-HT1B receptors.