Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Applying Stereotactic Injection Technique to Study Genetic Effects on Animal Behaviors
Published on: May 10, 2015
Altered RNA editing of serotonin 5-HT2C receptor induced by interferon: implications for depression associated with
Weidong Yang1, Qingde Wang, Stephen J Kanes
1The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Abstract:
Members of the ADAR (adenosine deaminases acting on RNA) gene family are involved in one type of RNA editing that converts adenosine residues to inosine. The A-to-I editing of serotonin receptor subtype 2C (5-HT(2C)R) mRNA leads to replacement of three amino acid residues located within the intracellular loop II domain, resulting in dramatic alterations in G-protein coupling functions of the receptor. It has been speculated that RNA editing may play a role in several pharmacological and behavioral processes where the serotonergic plasticity is mediated through 5-HT(2C)R. Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) often causes severe depression in patients treated for chronic viral hepatitis and certain malignancies. In this study, we examined the effects of IFN-alpha on RNA editing in human glioblastoma cell lines, which express 5-HT(2C)R mRNAs. ADAR1 expression and the pattern of the 5-HT(2C)R mRNA editing rapidly changed in response to IFN-alpha, leading to the dominant expression of the 5-HT(2C)R-VSI isoform predicted to have reduced G-protein coupling functions. Our results support the hypothesis that 5-HT(2C)R mRNA editing has causative relevance in the pathophysiology of depression associated with cytokine therapy.
More Related Videos
08:49Rapid In Situ Hybridization using Oligonucleotide Probes on Paraformaldehyde-prefixed Brain of Rats with Serotonin Syndrome
Published on: September 23, 2015
08:15Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model
Published on: June 6, 2025
Related Concept Videos
G-protein Coupled Receptors
RNA Editing
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
Experimental RNAi
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR activation may...
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis