Antidepressants as a Target of Serotonin Transporter

Serotonin transporter (SERT), a member of Na+/Cl– - dependent transporter family, is predicted to be a protein with a twelve membrane-spanning structure, which terminates the serotonergic neural transmission by re-uptaking serotonin into pre-synapse. It has been well-known that SERT is a target of antidepressants and abusive drugs. Although the pathogenesis of depression and mechanism underlying antidepressants action remains unclear, recent accumulated evidences have revealed that antidepressants promote the regeneration of neurons, which was damaged by repeated stress and recurrences of depression. In addition, analysis of crystal structure of bacterial leucine transporter, a homologue of mammalian Na+/Cl– - dependent neurotransmitter transporter, provides us a new information concerning the interactions of tricyclic antidepressants with serotonin transporter.