Transient expression of serotonin 5-HT4 receptors in the mouse developing thalamocortical projections

The serotonin 5-HT(4) receptor (5-HT(4)-R) is an unusually complex G-protein coupled receptor that is likely to play important roles in brain development and that may underlie the comorbidity of central and peripheral abnormalities in some developmental disorders. We studied the expression of 5-HT(4)-Rs in the developing mouse forebrain at embryonic days 13, 15, 17, and at postnatal days 3 and 14 by using immunohistochemistry, tract tracing, and quantitative RT-PCR. The developing thalamocortical projections transiently expressed 5-HT(4)-Rs in the embryonic brain and the 5-HT(4)-R expression in the forebrain changed from axonal to somatic around birth. From embryonic days 13-17, the forebrain mRNA levels of the 5-HT(4(a))-R and 5-HT(4(b))-R splice variants increased nine- and fivefold, respectively, whereas the levels of the 5-HT(4(e))-R and 5-HT(4(f))-R variants remained relatively low throughout the studied period of embryonic development. These results suggest that during development 5-HT(4)-R expression undergoes a dynamic regulation and that this regulation may be important for the normal development of sensory and limbic processing.