Molecular cloning and expression of the rhesus macaque D1 dopamine receptor gene

Abstract

Using homologous probes for the cloning of related genes within the family of guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptors, we have cloned the gene for the rhesus macaque D1 dopamine receptor. By using the rat D1 receptor coding sequence as a probe under high stringency conditions, the rhesus D1 receptor gene was isolated from a lambda EMBL3 rhesus genomic DNA library. The rhesus D1 dopamine receptor gene is intronless and encodes a 446-amino acid protein that contains two consensus sites for asparagine-linked glycosylation (Asn-5 and Asn-176) and two consensus sites for cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation (Thr-136 and Thr-268). The primary amino acid sequence of the rhesus D1 dopamine receptor shows an extremely high degree of similarity (99.6%) to the human D1 receptor. Genomic DNA analyses conducted with high and reduced stringency hybridizations indicate that the rhesus macaque D1 receptor is a member of a large multigene family. Like the human D1 receptor mRNA, the rhesus D1 receptor mRNA is approximately 4 kilobases in size and is localized predominantly in the caudate, with lesser amounts in the hippocampus and cortex. The rhesus D1 receptor coding region was inserted into the cytomegalovirus promoter-driven expression vector pcDNA-1, and the recombinant (pcDNA-D1) was cotransfected with the selectable marker pRSVneo, conferring G418 resistance, into D1 receptor-deficient C6 glioma cells. Analyses of the selected transfectant demonstrate the expression of a high affinity, functional D1 dopamine receptor. The D1 receptor radioligand [3H]SCH 23390 bound transfectant membranes with an affinity (Kd), of 0.3 nM; the D2-selective ligand spiperone, the dopamine receptor ligand clozapine, and the serotonin receptor antagonist ketanserin bound with considerably lower affinities (102, 80, and 95 nM, respectively). Both dopamine and the D1-selective agonist SKF 38393 inhibited the binding of [3H]SCH 23390 to transfectant cell membranes; the binding of these agonists was sensitive to GTP. Dopamine potently stimulated the accumulation of cAMP in transfected C6 cells, whereas SKF 38393 was a partial agonist in these cells. Also, the density of recombinant D1 receptors on the transfectant cells was decreased 40% upon treatment with 10 microM dopamine, indicating that occupation of recombinant D1 receptors by agonists alters surface expression of the receptors.