GPR171 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor putatively related to the P2Y family of purinergic receptors (P2YRs) for extracellular nucleotides, a group of mediators previously shown to regulate hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) .
GPR171 contains seven transmembrane domains, an extracellular N-terminus and an intracellular C-terminal tail. Its detailed structure and ligand binding domain structure was predicted by homology modeling based on its similarity to P2Y12 receptor.
GPR171 is a potential target for drug development in obesity and weight problems, anxiety, various psychiatric disorders and pain.
mRNA expression analysis
Strain specific analysis of GPR171 mRNA expression in wild-type C57BL/6N mice and B-hGPR171 mice by RT-PCR. Spleen RNA were isolated from wild-type C57BL/6N mice (+/+) and homozygous B-hGPR171 mice (H/H), then cDNA libraries were synthesized by reverse transcription, followed by PCR with mouse or human GPR171 primers. Mouse Gpr171 mRNA was detectable in wild-type mice. Human GPR171 mRNA was detectable only in homozygous B-hGPR171 mice (H/H) but not in wild-type mice.
Protein expression analysis
Western blot analysis of GPR171 protein expression in homozygous B-hGPR171 mice. Various tissue lysates were collected from wild-type C57BL/6N mice (+/+) and homozygous B-hGPR171 mice (H/H), and then analyzed by western blot with anti-GPR171 antibody (Alomone labs, AGR-054). 40 μg total proteins were loaded for western blotting analysis. GPR171 was detected in lung, spleen, stomach, bladder and brain in wild-type mice and homozygous B-hGPR171 mice, as the antibody is cross-recognize between human and mouse GPR171.