CLONING AND TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF A NEW RAT OLFACTORY RECEPTOR-LIKE (OL2)

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to clone an intronless cDNA e ncoding a new member (named OL2) of the G protein-coupled receptor sup erfamily. The coding region of the rat OL2 receptor gene predicts a se ven transmembrane domain receptor of 315 amino acids. OL2 has 46.4 per cent amino acid identity with OL1, an olfactory receptor expressed in the developing rat heart, and slightly lower percent indentities with several other olfactory receptors. PCR analysis reveals that the trans cript is present mainly in the rat spleen and in a mouse insulin-secre ting cell line (MING). No correlation was found between the tissue dis tribution of OL2 and that of the olfaction-related GTP-binding protein Golf alpha subunit. These findings suggest a role for this new hypoth etical G-protein coupled receptor and for its still unknown ligand in the spleen and in the insulin-secreting beta cells. (C) 1998 Academic Press.