Experimental and In silico Analysis of the Hypoxic Response of Human HTR1B Expression in Human Cell Lines and Its Ortholog Ser-4 Expression in Caenorhabditis elegans

Authors : Sümeyye Aydoğan Türkoğlu, Canberk Toprak, Aysu Bozkurt, Fatma Poyrazlı
Pages : 33-41
Doi:10.31594/commagene.1590025
View : 58 | Download : 144
Publication Date : 2025-06-30
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :The relationship between serotonin receptors and cancer has been particularly investigated in recent years. Some studies suggest that serotonin receptors may promote the growth, spread, and metastasis of cancer cells. Serotonin also plays an important role in C. elegans. The simple nervous system of C. elegans provides an ideal system to study to understand the functions of neurons and neuromodulators. The Serotonin system is highly conserved evolutionarily in humans and C. elegans. A decrease in oxygen levels in cells is called hypoxia and hypoxia promotes tumor growth and is associated with treatment resistance. The usability of C. elegans as a new model in the investigation of cancer-related genes in hypoxic studies is important. For this purpose, hypoxic conditions were created in two different models (human cell lines (HUVEC and PC-3) and C. elegans) and the expression changes of serotonin receptors HTR1B and its ortholog Ser-4 were examined. Bioinformatic analyses showed that these two genes were 87% similar and affected similar cellular signaling pathways. The expression of HTR1B was increased in the HUVEC cell line at 48 and 72 hours under hypoxic conditions. A hypoxic response was observed in the PC-3 cell line at 48 hours. The expression of Ser-4, the HTR1B C. elegans ortholog gene, was also increased in hypoxia at 1 hour. The effects of the HTR1B gene on various cell lines play a critical role in understanding the complex dynamics of the serotonergic system. In conclusion, the effects of the HTR1B gene on various cell lines constitute an important step in understanding the functionality of this gene in cancer and its potential therapeutic uses.
Keywords : Serotonin, HTR1B, Ser-4, HUVEC, PC-3, C.elegans, Kanser, Hipoksi

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