Novel neuropeptide Y Y2-like receptor subtype in zebrafish and frogs supports early vertebrate chromosome duplications.

The Y receptors comprise a family of G-protein coupled receptors with neuropeptide Y-family peptides as endogenous ligands. The Y receptor family has five members in mammals and evolutionary data suggest that it diversified in the two genome duplications proposed to have occurred early in vertebrate evolution. If this theory holds true, it allows for additional family members to be present. We describe here the cloning, pharmacological characterization, tissue distribution, and chromosomal localization of a novel subtype of the Y-receptor family, named Y7, from the zebrafish. We also present Y7 sequences from rainbow trout and two amphibians. The new receptor is most similar to Y2, with 51-54% identity. As Y2 has also been cloned from some of these species, there clearly are two separate Y2-subfamily genes. Chromosomal mapping in zebrafish supports origin of Y7 as a duplicate of Y2 by chromosome duplication in an early vertebrate. Y7 has probably been lost in the lineage leading to mammals. The pharmacological profile of the zebrafish Y7 receptor is different from mammalian Y2, as it does not bind short fragments of NPY with a high affinity. The Y7 receptor supports the theory of early vertebrate genome duplications and suggests that the Y family of receptors is a result of these early genome duplications.