Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody to SERT RPCA-SERT

      Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, is an important neurotransmitter in the CNS and has many important functions outside the CNS (1). Serotoninergic neuron cell bodies in the CNS are found in the raphe nucleus and send their fine beaded processes throughout the brain and spinal cord. The serotoninergic system modulates mood, perception, emotion, aggression, stress responses, sleep and appetite and contributes to learning and memory formation. The processes of serotoninergic neurons express the Na+/Cl- dependent serotonin transporter (SERT), which is responsible for uptake of serotonin from the extracellular space following synaptic release. SERT is a member of the neurotransmitter sodium synporter family of proteins, which includes transporters specific for dopamine, GABA, glycine and other important small molecules. These transporter proteins are localized in the plasma membrane and have a complex structure including 12 transmembrane domains (2). SERT is only expressed in serotoninergic neurons and their processes so that SERT antibodies are useful to study these important cells and their processes (3-5). The SERT molecule functions by exchanging extracellular serotonin with Na+ and Cl- ions and is dependent on the membrane potential and ionic gradients generated by the Na+/K+ ATPase. A large class of drugs, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), bind to SERT and inhibit it, increasing the level of extracellular serotonin. These drugs are important anti-depressants including the well known drug Prozac (a.k.a. fluoxetine, 6).

Chromogenic immunostaining of a NBF fixed paraffin embedded human hippocampal region section with rabbit pAb to serotonin, RPCA-SERT, dilution 1:2,000 detected with DAB (brown) using the Vector Labs ImmPRESS method and reagents with citra buffer retrieval. Hematoxylin (blue) was used as the counterstain. In this image, the RPCA-SERT antibody specifically labels the processes of serotonergic neurons passing through the midbrain. This antibody performs well in testing with 4% PFA and standard NBF fixed mouse, rat and human tissue. Mouse select image for larger view.

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