Agonist-directed signaling of the serotonin 2A receptor depends on beta-arrestin-2 interactions in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Visual and auditory hallucinations accompany certain neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, and they also can be induced by the use or abuse of certain drugs. The heptahelical serotonin 2A receptors (5-HT2ARs) are molecular targets for drug-induced hallucinations. However, the cellular mechanisms by which the 5-HT2AR mediates these effects are not well understood. Drugs acting at the 5-HT2AR can trigger diverse signaling pathways that may be directed by the chemical properties of the drug. beta-arrestins are intracellular proteins that bind to heptahelical receptors and represent a point where such divergences in ligand-directed functional signaling could occur. Here we compare the endogenous agonist, serotonin, to a synthetic 5-HT2AR hallucinogenic agonist, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iod

SUBMITTER: Schmid CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2242710 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature