5-HT3 receptor subtypes: functional and structural characterisation

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5-HT3 receptors are membrane protein which transmit information in the nervous system. They are also the target of many drugs. They are, for example, the 'gold standard' for treatment of postoperative and chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and studies have revealed many potential disease targets that might be amenable to alleviation by 5-HT3 receptor-selective compounds; these include chronic heart pain, bulimia, addiction, pruritis, emesis, fibromyalgia, migraine, rheumatic diseases and neurological phenomena such as anxiety and cognitive function. The receptors are constituted of 5 subunits, some of which have been associated with specific disorders, but the composition and properties of receptors composed of multiple subunits have not yet been studied. To understand how alterations in these subunits could cause disorders, and to provide a template for novel therapeutic agents that could act at complex 5-HT3 receptors, it is essential to determine the properties of these as yet uncharacterised receptors. This is the aim of this project.