The type of serotonin receptor 1A (5-HT1A), the galanin type 1 (GalR1) and the orphan receptor 39 (GPR39) belong to the superfamily The serotonin receptor type 1A (5-HT1A), the galanin receptor type 1 (GalR1) and the orphan receptor 39 (GPR39) belong to the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. All three GPCRs share, among other features, a relationship with the pathophysiology of unipolar depression associated with presence of zinc. The current paradigm with respect to these functional unities is that these receptors are not acting as monomeric forms but through complexs involving specific interactions with themselves or other receptors from the same family. This allows them to increase their functional possibilities exponentially, allowing versatility from a fixed number of receptors, and consequently also increases the number of pharmacological approachmes. The heterodimerization between 5-HT1A receptor and GalR1 has been previously described as an antagonistic interaction that could lead to unipolar depression. In this thesis we have shown that this interaction is avoided in the presence of zinc, giving a rational explanation for the antidepressant effect widely described for this cation. Although there was no published evidence regarding the interaction of these two receptors with GPR39, a receptor that is activated by zinc and whose expression depends on the concentration of this cation, in this thesis we have demonstrated the ability to interact of these three receptors in both forms GPR39-5-HT1A, 5-HT1A-GalR1 and the trimer GPR39-5-HT1A-GalR1. It has also been found that the functional capacity of the receptors is modified according the type of interaction in which these receptors are involved. So that monomeric and oligomeric forms have different signalling capacities. This would suggest that in the human brain all putative receptor configurations could be present, and that the presence of one or other would be regulated by zinc concentration. Deepening in the detailed molecular mechanism of the effect of zinc on these interactions should allow the development of new drugs for a disease with high prevalence in the nowadays society.
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