Cloning genes encoding receptors related to chemoattractant receptors

We report the cloning of a novel human gene (GPR32) encoding a putative G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) of 356 amino acids and a related pseudogene psi GPR32. The deduced amino acid sequence of GPR32 shares 35-39% identity with members of the chemoattractant receptor family. psi GPR32 shares 93% nucleotide identity with GPR32. We identified a mouse EST encoding a putative GPCR (GPR33) of 309 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of GPR33 shares 30-35% identity with members of the chemoattractant receptor family and 36% identity with the receptor encoded by GPR32. The human orthologue of GPR33 contains a single basepair substitution with respect to the mouse, resulting in the presence of an in-frame stop codon within the predicted second intracellular loop, demonstrating that it is a pseudogene. Through fluorescence in situ hybridization and physical mapping of YACs, both GPR32 and psi GPR32 were mapped to chromosomal 19, region q13.3, while psi GPR33 was mapped to chromosome 14q12.