Gene structure and expression of the mouse 5‐HT2 receptor

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Abstract
Serotonin (5‐Hydroxytryptamine, 5‐HT) is an important neurotransmitter which mediates numerous physiological functions. Using the SacI‐EcoRI restriction fragment of the rat brain 5‐HT2 receptor cDNA as a probe, we have screened a mouse brain cDNA library, created by random priming and constructed in SWAJ vectors, and have isolated a cDNA encoding a 1.4 kb open reading frame which codes for a functional mouse 5‐HT2 receptor identified from pharmacological binding profiles and coupling of phosphoinositide formation in a stably transfected fibroblast cell line. The deduced amino acid sequence is 97.4% identical to the rat 5‐HT2 receptor. Using the same 5‐HT2 receptor cDNA probe, ten positive genomic clones were isolated from two mouse genomic libraries constructed in the pWE15 cosmid vector and the EMBL‐3 phage vector. Extensive mapping and sequencing of these genomic clones indicate the mouse 5‐HT2 receptor coding region spans over 20 kb and is composed of three exons split by two introns. Northern blot analysis shows one band of 5–6 kb in the mouse brain, but not in the heart, lung, liver, or kidney total RNA. Southern analysis of mouse liver genomic DNA shows a simple pattern of digestion by several restriction enzymes, which suggests that one copy of the 5‐HT2 receptor gene may exist in the mouse genome. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.