Description
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), a neurotransmitter, elicits a wide array of physiological effects by binding to several receptor subtypes, including the 5-HT2 family of seven-transmembrane-spanning, G-protein-coupled receptors, which activate phospholipase C and D signaling pathways. This gene encodes the 2C subtype of serotonin receptor and its mRNA is subject to multiple RNA editing events, where genomically encoded adenosine residues are converted to inosines. RNA editing is predicted to alter amino acids within the second intracellular loop of the 5-HT2C receptor and generate receptor isoforms that differ in their ability to interact with G proteins and the activation of phospholipase C and D signaling cascades, thus modulating serotonergic neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Studies in humans have reported abnormalities in patterns of 5-HT2C editing in depressed suicide victims