CLONING OF A NOVEL PUTATIVE G-PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTOR (NLR) WHICH IS EXPRESSED IN NEURONAL AND LYMPHATIC TISSUE

A novel G-protein-coupled receptor was isolated from mouse and rat neuronal and lymphatic tissues. The amino acid sequence of the rat receptor (rNLR) shows an overall homology of 80% to a recently cloned receptor from Burkitt's lymphoma cells (BLR1) which is exclusively expressed in lymphatic tissues [(1992) Eur. J. Immunol. 22, 2795]. Much less homology between rNLR and BLR1 was observed at the N-terminus (about 40%), whereas rNLR and the mouse homologue mNLR show 92% amino acid identity. Northern blot analysis of NLR revealed a predominant 5.5 kb mRNA species in various brain regions and neuronal cell lines, whereas in the spleen a 3 kb transcript is predominant. This distribution suggests a role of NLR in the nervous and immune systems.