The role of the carboxyl terminus in folding of the serotonin transporter

Background The serotonin transporter (SERT) is a member of the SLC6 family of solute carriers. SERT plays a crucial role in synaptic neurotransmission by retrieving released serotonin. The intracellular carboxyl terminus of various neurotransmitter transporters has been shown to be important for the correct delivery of SLC6 family members to the cell surface. A previous study showed that deleting the C-terminus of SERT impaired transporter activity and compromised its delivery to the plasma membrane [1], but this study did not offer any mechanistic explanation for these effects. The hypothesis of the current project has been that the C-terminus of SERT is required for folding and trafficking of the serotonin transporter. Materials and methods