Solubilization of human serotonin_1A receptors expressed in neuronal cells

Abstract

The serotonin_1A receptor is an important member of the G-protein coupled receptor family, and is involved in a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and developmental functions. None of the subtypes of G-protein coupled serotonin receptors have yet been purified to homogeneity from natural sources. We report here, for the first time, the solubilization of human serotonin_1A receptors stably expressed in neuronal (HN2) cells. Importantly, ligand binding assay shows that the serotonin_1A receptor solubilized this way is functionally active. The effective solubilization of the serotonin_1A receptor from neuronal cells represents an important step toward the purification of the receptor in native-like membrane environment.