CDNA CLONING OF A G-PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTOR EXPRESSED IN RAT SPINAL-CORD AND BRAIN RELATED TO CHEMOKINE RECEPTORS

A series of cDNAs and a genomic clone (named RBS11) were isolated, from a variety of rat brainstem, pituitary and/or spinal cord cDNA libraries and a genomic library by low-stringency hybridization screening with a rat angiotensin receptor cDNA. The RBS11 protein, as conceptualized from these DNAs, is a novel member of the rhodopsin family of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GCR) superfamily. Comparison of RBS11 to other members of the GCR superfamily suggests that the RBS11 protein might be a receptor for a peptide ligand in the chemokine family. The RBS11 protein sequence is unusual in that it is without N-linked glycosylation consensus sequences in the putative exofacial regions. Northern analysis indicates that the mRNA for RBS11 accumulates widely and unevenly in the adult rat, with the mRNA being most prominent in extracts of spinal cord, brain, kidney, gut, uterus and testes.