Serotonin Transportation
Have you ever been transported on a big orange school bus? In this image as well, orange is the color of transportation. Here, serotonin transporter proteins in the brain of a mouse are shown in orange. These proteins do exactly what their name implies – transport the neurotransmitter serotonin across the cell membrane.
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Have you ever been transported on a big orange school bus? In this image as well, orange is the color of transportation. Here, serotonin transporter proteins in the brain of a mouse are shown in orange. These proteins do exactly what their name implies – transport the neurotransmitter serotonin across the cell membrane.
What am I looking at?
This image shows a 1-millimeter-thick slice through the brain of a mouse, with neurons that express the gene that codes for the serotonin transporter protein labeled in orange. You can see the fibers of these cells (1) extending from the middle of the brain (2) all the way to the cortex (3). The main, annotated image is a slice taken from the middle of the brain. Click on the right arrow to see additional slices, from the front to the back of the brain.
Biology in the background
Serotonin is a biochemical compound that contributes to a variety of important biological functions, including the regulation of mood and emotions. Certain brain cells make serotonin and release it into the synapses so it can act on other brain cells. A protein called serotonin transporter (SERT) moves serotonin from a synapse back into the cell that released it through a process called reuptake. This allows cells to recycle serotonin.
Many well-known antidepressant drugs act on SERTs. These drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). They block the function of SERTs, preventing serotonin from being taken back into the cell. This allows serotonin to stay in a synapse longer, increasing the time that it can interact with receptors on the surface of the cell that it is signaling. SSRIs have been proven effective at treating some forms of depression and anxiety.
In both humans and mice, SERTs are very small, only about 12 nanometers across, or roughly 6,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Technique
These images were created using confocal microscopy.
Andrew K. Recknagel, Glassy Mountain Fire Department