A null mutation of the serotonin 6 receptor alters acute responses to ethanol.
The anatomical distribution and pharmacology of serotonin 6 receptors (5-HT6Rs) implicate them as contributors to the serotonergic regulation of complex behavior. To complement the limited range of pharmacological tools available to examine 5-HT6R function, we have generated a mouse line bearing a constitutive null mutation of the 5-HT6R gene. No perturbations of baseline behavior were noted in a wide array of assays pertinent to multiple neurobehavioral processes. However, 5-HT6R mutant mice demonstrated reduced responses to the ataxic and sedative effects of ethanol. No differences in ethanol metabolism were evident between wild-type and 5-HT6R mutant mice. These findings implicate 5-HT6Rs in the serotonergic modulation of responses to ethanol.
Bonasera
Stephen J
SJ
Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Chu
Hung-Ming
HM
Brennan
Thomas J
TJ
Tecott
Laurence H
LH
D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018390:Gene Targeting; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*
D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; C097216:serotonin 6 receptor; D000431:Ethanol