Symbol: 5-HT or 5-ht Any of a large family of cell receptors that are activated by serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). Subclasses are denoted by a suffixed subscript Arabic number and (in some cases) a suffixed subscript capital letter: examples include 5-HT1A, 5-ht1E, 5-HT2A, 5-HT4, 5-ht5A, and 5-HT6. The lower-case ‘ht’ denotes an undefined physiological role for this receptor subclass. The 5-HT3 receptors are ionotropic (as distinct from the other, metabotropic, 5-HT receptor subclasses), and each comprises five subunits, designated 5-HT3A, 5-HT3B, etc.
New Oxford Dictionary for Scientific Writers and Editors. © 1991
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