Science signaling podcast for 12 January 2016: GPCR heteromers and schizophrenia

This Podcast features an interview with Javier González-Maeso, author of a Research Article that appears in the 12 January 2016 issue of Science Signaling, about how two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) work together as a heteromer. The serotonin receptor 5-HT_2A and the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGlu2 are GPCRs that have been linked to psychiatric disorders and can function as heteromers. However, these receptors bind to different ligands and are coupled to different intracellular G proteins. Moreno et al. found that ligand binding to mGlu2 induced intracellular signaling through G proteins coupled to 5-HT_2A. In postmortem brain samples from schizophrenic patients, mGlu2-dependent activation of the G proteins coupled to 5-HT_2A was reduced compared to controls, suggesting that signaling through 5-HT_2A-mGlu2 heteromers may be dysregulated in this disease.