Cloning of a novel member of the G protein-coupled receptor family related to peptide receptors.

We have used PCR with degenerate oligonucleotide primers to clone novel members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. We report here a novel gene, CEPR, which encodes a candidate receptor that is most similar to the peptide receptor family. The coding region of the human CEPR gene predicts a seven transmembrane domain (TM) receptor of 375 amino acids. CEPR has 28-30 percent amino acid identity to angiotensin II and interleukin 8 receptors, and slightly lower percent identity to many other GPCRs. Northern blot analysis reveals a 3.3 kb CEPR transcript in different regions of human brain and in various peripheral tissues. The ubiquitous tissue distribution of CEPR, its expression in early development, and its conservation in evolution indicate a potentially important biological function for this receptor and its putative peptide ligand.