Human 5-HT4 and 5-HT7 receptor splice variants: Are they important?

Abstract

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are encoded by >300 genes in the human genome, are by far the largest class of targets for modern drugs. These macromolecules display inherent adaptability of function, which is partly due to the production of different forms of the receptor protein. These are commonly called 'isoforms' or 'splice variants' denoting the molecular process of their production/assembly. Not all GPCRs are expressed as splice variants, but certain subclasses of 5-HT receptors are for example, the 5-HT4 and 5-HT7 receptors. There are at least 11 human 5-HT4 and three h5-HT7 receptor splice variants. This review describes their discoveries, nomenclature and structures. The..