Metabolic depletion of sphingolipids enhances the mobility of the human serotonin1A receptor.

Sphingolipids are essential components of eukaryotic cell membranes. We recently showed that the function of the serotonin(1A) receptor is impaired upon metabolic depletion of sphingolipids using fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)), a specific inhibitor of ceramide synthase. Serotonin(1A) receptors belong to the family of G-protein coupled receptors and are implicated in the generation and modulation of various cognitive, behavioral and developmental functions. Since function and dynamics of membrane receptors are often coupled, we monitored the lateral dynamics of the serotonin(1A) receptor utilizing fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) under these conditions. Our results show an increase in mobile fraction of the receptor upon sphingolipid depletion, while the diffusion coefficient of the receptor did not exhibit any significant change. These novel results constitute the first report on the effect of sphingolipid depletion on the mobility of the serotonin(1A) receptor. Our results assume greater relevance in the broader context of the emerging role of receptor mobility in understanding cellular signaling.