Kei Arai1,2, Akito Tanoue2, Nobuhito Goda2,
Masayuki Takeda1,
Kota Takahashi1 and Gozoh Tsujimoto2,*
1Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University,
Niigata 951 - 8510, Japan
2Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, National
Children's Medical Research Center, Tokyo 154 - 8509, Japan
(*) To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract: ƒ¿1-Adrenergic receptors (ƒ¿1-ARs) play critical roles
in the regulation of a variety of physiological processes. Increasing evidence
suggests that multiple receptor subtypes of ƒ¿1-ARs regulate these physiological
processes. Molecular cloning has identified three distinct cDNAs encoding
ƒ¿1-AR subtypes (ƒ¿1A, ƒ¿1B and ƒ¿1D) that are structurally homologous.
Among the ƒ¿1-AR subtypes, the function of the ƒ¿1D-AR remains unclear.
In order to examine the physiological role of ƒ¿1D-AR, we cloned and characterized
a gene for the mouse ƒ¿1D-AR. Using a mouse ƒ¿1D-AR cDNA as a probe, we
isolated the gene for the mouse ƒ¿1D-AR from a mouse genomic library. The
ƒ¿1D-AR consists of two exons and an intron that interrupts the coding region
of the putative sixth transmembrane domain. The 5'-flanking region of exon
1 contains neither a TATA box nor a CAAT box but is high in GC content and
contains several Sp1 binding sites (GC boxes). This pattern is similar to
promoters described for other members of ƒ¿1-ARs. The untranslated region
also contains putative cyclic AMP response elements. Isolation of this gene
will allow further investigation, via gene knock-outs and deletion mutants,
of the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation and a greater understanding
of the physiological role of ƒ¿1D-AR.
Keywords: ƒ¿1D-Adrenergic receptor, Gene