Function
In humans, the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) plays an important role in various cognitive and behavioral functions. The serotonin receptor encoded by the HTR7 gene belongs to the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). When the 5-HT7 receptor is activated by serotonin, it sets off a cascade of events starting with release of the stimulatory G protein Gs from the GPCR complex. Gs in turn activates adenylate cyclase which increases intracellular levels of the second messenger cAMP.
The 5-HT7 receptor plays a role in smooth muscle relaxation within the vasculature and in the gastrointestinal tract. The highest 5-HT7 receptor densities are in the thalamus and hypothalamus, and it is present at higher densities also in the hippocampus and cortex. The 5-HT7 receptor is involved in thermoregulation, circadian rhythm, learning and memory, and sleep. It is also speculated that this receptor may be involved in mood regulation, suggesting that it may be a useful target in the treatment of depression.
Read more about this topic: 5-HT7 Receptor
Famous quotes containing the word function:
“Every boy was supposed to come into the world equipped with a father whose prime function was to be our father and show us how to be men. He can escape us, but we can never escape him. Present or absent, dead or alive, real or imagined, our father is the main man in our masculinity.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)
“The function of comedy is to dispel ... unconsciousness by turning the searchlight of the keenest moral and intellectual analysis right on to it.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Uses are always much broader than functions, and usually far less contentious. The word function carries overtones of purpose and propriety, of concern with why something was developed rather than with how it has actually been found useful. The function of automobiles is to transport people and objects, but they are used for a variety of other purposes—as homes, offices, bedrooms, henhouses, jetties, breakwaters, even offensive weapons.”
—Frank Smith (b. 1928)