Molecular characterization and tissue-specific expression of a murine putative G-protein-coupled receptor

We isolated by 5'- and 3'-RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) clones from a murine brain cDNA library which encode a putative G-protein-coupled receptor. The composite nucleotide sequence revealed a coding region of 1197 nt; the deduced amino acid sequence of 399 amino acids showed 91.5% identity (95.7% similarity) when compared with the human homolog. An intron-like sequence, possibly involved in the regulation of expression, was found within the 5'-untranslated region. Northern blot analysis showed that the major 1.7-kb transcript is widely expressed, notably in brain and testis. In situ hybridization studies of tissue sections revealed high expression in neurons of the brain, epithelial cells of the lung, kidney and intestine, and in alveolar macrophages.