Expression of the D3 dopamine receptor gene and a novel variant transcript generated by alternative splicing in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

The sequential reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplified the mRNA coding for the D3 dopamine receptor (D3R) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Pharmacological analysis confirmed the binding of the D3R specific ligand to the lymphocytes. In addition, there was a novel shorter variant transcript of the D3R gene generated by alternative splicing in lymphocytes and brain. This variant, termed D3(TM4-del), has a 143 bp deletion and encodes a 138 amino acid protein containing the first three transmembrane domains of the native D3R.