Dual effects of serotonin on a voltage-gated conductance in lymphocytes

The effects of serotonin (5-HT), a well-known immunomodulator and neurotransmitter, on the ionic permeability of a pre-B lymphocyte cell line was investigated with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. We found that physiological doses of this biogenic amine regulate a voltage-gated potassium channel by activating different subsets of receptors. More specifically, 5-HT induces in the recorded cells (i) increase in the maximum potassium conductance, which is due to activation of 5-HT1-like receptors, and (ii) acceleration of the inactivation process that is under the control of 5-HT3 receptors and, accordingly, is mimicked by the 5-HT3 agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT; involvement of those two distinct categories of receptors was demonstrated by using specific antagonists that block predominantly one or the other of these two actions. These two results show that hormones can affect lymphocyte physiology through modulation of their ionic conductances in a way that might help explain some of the diverse effects of 5-HT on neuronal cells.