Papers of the Week

Ionotropic receptors are ligand-gated ion channels triggering fast neurotransmitter responses. Among them, P2X and 5-HT receptors have been shown to physically interact each other and functionally inducing cross inhibitory responses. Nevertheless, despite the importance of P2X4 and 5-HT receptors that mediate for example neuropathic pain and psychosis respectively, complementary evidence has recently started to move forward in the understanding of this interaction. In this review, we discuss current evidence supporting the mechanism of crosstalking between both receptors, from the structural to the transduction pathway level. We expect this work may guide the design of further experiments to obtain a comprehensive view for the neuropharmacological role of these interacting receptors.