SEQUENCE VARIATION OF A NOVEL HEPTAHELICAL LEUKOCYTE RECEPTOR THROUGH ALTERNATIVE TRANSCRIPT FORMATION

Chemoattractants, including chemokines such as interleukin 8 (IL-8) and related proteins, activate leucocytes via seven-transmembrane-domain G-protein-coupled receptors. A cDNA for a novel receptor of this kind consisting of 327 amino acids was isolated from a human blood monocyte cDNA library. The polypeptide, termed monocyte-derived receptor 15 (MDR15), is an alternative form of the Burkitt's lymphoma receptor 1 (BLR1) encoded by a human Burkitt's lymphoma cDNA [Dobner, Wolf, Emrich and Lipp (1992) fur. J. Immunol. 22, 2795-2799]. MDR15 and BLR1 cDNAs differ in the 5' region, where the open reading frame of MDR15 is shorter by 45 codons. Southern-blot analysis indicates that the two transcripts for MDR15 and BLR1 are encoded by the same gene. Northern-blot analysis using a probe that hybridizes with both mRNAs demonstrated high-level expression in chronic B-lymphoid leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells and, to a lesser extent, peripheral blood monocytes and lymphocytes. Reverse transcription-PCR studies with MDR15- and BLR1-specific primers showed similar levels of transcripts for both receptors in RNA that was positive in Northern-blot analysis. MDR15 and BLR1 have high structural similarity to receptors for human IL-8 (about 40 % amino acid identity) and other chemokines. However, none of a series of radiolabelled chemokines (IL-8, NAP-2, GRO alpha, PF4, IP10, MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, I-309, RANTES and MIP-1 alpha) and other ligands (C3a and leukotriene B-4) bound to Jurkat transfectants that stably expressed either MDR15 or BLR1 mRNA. The fact that MDR15 and BLR1 are expressed on leucocytes and show marked sequence similarity to chemokine receptors suggests the existence of as yet unidentified chemokines. Alternative transcript formation affecting the 5'-terminal part of the coding region may be a way to modify ligand-binding selectivity.