EMR1, an unusual member in the family of hormone receptors with seven transmembrane segments.

Laboratoire de Biologie des Tumeurs Humaines, CNRS URA 1156, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.

Proteins with seven transmembrane segments (7TM) define a superfamily of receptors (7TM receptors) sharing the same topology: an extracellular N-terminus, three extramembranous loops on either side of the plasma membrane, and a cytoplasmic C-terminal tail. Upon ligand binding, cytoplasmic portions of the activated receptor interact with heterotrimeric G-coupled proteins to induce various second messengers. A small group, recently recognized on the basis of homologous primary amino acid sequences, comprises receptors to hormones of the secretin/vasoactive intestinal peptide/glucagon family, parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related peptides, growth hormone-releasing factor, corticotropin-releasing factor, and calcitonin. A cDNA, extracted from a neuroectodermal cDNA library, was predicted to encode a new 886-amino-acid protein with three distinct domains. The C-terminal third contains the seven hydrophobic segments and characteristic residues that allow the protein to be readily aligned with the various hormone receptors in the family. Six egf-like modules, at the N-terminus of the predicted mature protein, are separated from the transmembrane segments by a serine/threonine-rich domain, a feature reminiscent of mucin-like, single-span, integral membrane glycoproteins with adhesive properties. Because of its unique characteristics, this putative egf module-containing, mucin-like hormone receptor has been named EMR1. Southern analysis of a panel of somatic cell hybrids and fluorescence in situ hybridization have assigned the EMR1 gene to human chromosome 19p13.3.

PMID: 7601460 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]