Since the first description of 5-HT 3 receptors more than 50 years ago, there has been speculation about the molecular basis of their receptor heterogeneity. We have cloned the genes encoding novel 5-HT3 subunits 5-HT3C, 5-HT3D, and 5-HT3E and have shown that these subunits are able to form functional heteromeric receptors when coexpressed with the 5-HT3A subunit. However, whether these subunits are actually expressed in human tissue remained to be confirmed. In the current study, we performed immunocytochemistry to locate the 5-HT3A as well as the 5-HT3C, 5-HT3D, and 5-HT3E subunits within the human colon. Western blot analysis was used to confirm subunit expression, and RT-PCR was employed to detect transcripts encoding 5-HT 3 receptor subunits in microdissected tissue samples. This investigation revealed, for the first time, that 5-HT3C, 5-HT3D, and 5-HT3E subunits are coexpressed with 5-HT3A in cell bodies of myenteric neurons. Furthermore, 5-HT3A and 5-HT3D were found to be expressed in submucosal plexus of the human large intestine. These data provide a strong basis for future studies of the roles that specific 5-HT 3 receptor subtypes play in the function of the enteric and central nervous systems and the contribution that specific 5-HT 3 receptors make to the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia.Keywords 5-HT receptor; 5-HT 3 ; ligand-gated ion channel; antibody; gastrointestinal tract Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT)-mediated signaling is important in bidirectional brain-gut interactions involved in cognition, emotions, and digestive function (Gershon and Tack, 2007). Most of the body's 5-HT (~95%) is produced and stored in enterochromaffin cells (EC) in the enteric mucosal epithelium; however, smaller stores of 5-HT are also present in the bowel in serotonergic neurons of the enteric nervous system (ENS), where 5-HT participates in both slow and fast neurotransmission (Gershon, 2004(Gershon, , 2005Gershon and Tack, 2007). After its release from EC cells or neurons, 5-HT stimulates the 5-HT 1 , 1 5-HT 2 , 5-HT 3 , 5-HT 4 , and 5-HT 7 subtypes of receptor, all of which are expressed in the gut. Animal studies have indicated that 5-HT activates submucosal intrinsic primary afferent neurons (IPANs) through 5-HT 1P receptors to initiate peristaltic reflexes (Pan and Gershon, 2000;Wade et al., 1994) and myenteric IPANs through 5-HT 3 receptors (Bertrand et al., 1997) to initiate giant migrating contractions (Karaus and Sarna, 1987;Nagakura et al., 2002;Sarna, 2007). 5-HT also stimulates 5-HT 4 receptors to increase secretion of acetylcholine and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP;Grider, 2003). This 5-HT 4Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Correspondence to: Beate Niesler. 1 5-HT3 subunits and 5-HT 3 receptors are termed according to the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR;Peters et al., 2010 (Liu et al., 2005;Pan and Galligan, 1994;Ren et al., 2008) and probably underlies the successful use of 5-HT...