In this issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology, a new article by Kozuska et al. discusses the multiple salt bridges in the intracellular domain of the 5HT3A receptor. These interactions increase the overall rigidity of the receptor, stabilize its low conducting state and affect the ligand cooperativity. The authors suggest that the allosteric effects of these regions on the receptor may be involved in a possible 'reverse' allosteric modulation of 5HT3 receptors.
Keywords: 5-HT3; allostery; ion channels; serotonin.
© 2013 The British Pharmacological Society.