title: Expression cloning of a human corticotropin-releasing-factor receptor.
abstract: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the principal neuroregulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and plays an important role in coordinating the endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to stress and immune challenge. We report here the cloning of a cDNA coding for a CRF receptor from a human corticotropic tumor library. The cloned cDNA encodes a 415-amino acid protein comprising seven putative membrane-spanning domains and is structurally related to the calcitonin/vasoactive intestinal peptide/growth hormone-releasing hormone subfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. The receptor expressed in COS cells binds rat/human CRF with high affinity (Kd = 3.3 +/- 0.45 nM) and specificity and is functionally coupled to adenylate cyclase. The CRF antagonist alpha-helCRF-(9-41) inhibits the CRF-stimulated increase in intracellular cAMP. Northern blot analysis reveals that the CRF receptor is expressed in the rat pituitary and brain as well as in the mouse AtT20 corticotropic cells. We also describe an alternatively spliced form of the receptor which includes an insert of 29 amino acids in the first intracellular loop.
authors.affiliation: Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Vale
mesh_terms: D015056:1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D015723:Gene Library; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D011061:Poly A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011061:Poly A; D012313:RNA; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D015056:1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine