Isolation of a cDNA encoding the human brain serotonin transporter

Abstract

A cDNA encoding a serotonin transporter (5-HTT) in the human dorsal raphe nucleus was isolated and sequenced using cross-species amplification of human 5-HTT partial cDNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the RACE-PCR procedure, designed for rapid amplification of 3′ and 5′ cDNA ends. The cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding a hydrophobic polypeptide of 630 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of ∼ 70 kDa. The human 5-HTT is ∼ 92% homologous to the rat protein but contains an additional consensus phosphorylation site for cAMP-dependent protein kinase recognition located in the cytoplasmic N-terminal region, while a potential protein kinase C phosphorylation site identified in the rat homolog is not conserved in the human 5-HTT. Hydropathicity analysis revealed twelve membrane spanning segments, a topology proposed for other cloned sodium-dependent transporters.