Pharmacological characterization of a rat 5-hydroxytryptamine type3 receptor subunit (r5-HT3A(b)) expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes

摘要

The present study has utilized the two electrode voltage-clamp technique to examine the pharmacological profile of a splice variant of the rat orthologue of the 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3A subunit (5-HT3A(b)) heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes.At negative holding potentials, bath applied 5-HT (300 nM–10 μM) evoked a transient, concentration-dependent (EC50=1.1±0.1 μM), inward current. The response reversed in sign at a holding potential of −2.1±1.6 mV.The response to 5-HT was mimicked by the 5-HT3 receptor selective agonists 2-methyl-5-HT (EC50=4.1±0.2 μM), 1-phenylbiguanide (EC50=3.0±0.1 μM), 3-chlorophenylbiguanide (EC50=140± 10 nM), 3,5-dichlorophenylbiguanide (EC50=14.5±0.4 nM) and 2,5-dichlorophenylbiguanide (EC50= 10.2±0.6 nM). With the exception of 2-methyl-5-HT, all of the agonists tested elicited maximal current responses comparable to those produced by a saturating concentration (10 μM) of 5-HT.Responses evoked by 5-HT at EC50 were blocked by the 5-HT3 receptor selective antagonist ondansetron (IC50=231±22 pM) and by the less selective agents (+)-tubocurarine (IC50=31.9± 0.01 nM) and cocaine (IC50=2.1±0.2 μM).The data are discussed in the context of results previously obtained with the human and mouse orthologues of the 5-HT3A subunit. Overall, the study reinforces the conclusion that species differences detected for native 5-HT3 receptors extend to, and appear largely explained by, differences in the properties of homo-oligomeric receptors formed from 5-HT3A subunit orthologues.