G Protein Coupled Receptor 39 (GPR39)

The growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) found in the pituitary gland and brain that is involved in the control of growth hormone release.

The predicted 453-amino acid GPR39 protein contains the 7 transmembrane domains characteristic of GPCRs. By sequence comparison with other GPCRs, McKee et al. (1997) found that the protein sequence of GPR39 is 27% and 32% identical to that of GSHR and neurotensin receptor-1, respectively. Northern blot analysis revealed that GPR39 is expressed widely as a 1.8- to 2-kb mRNA. A 3-kb transcript is present on Northern blots of some tissues, either in addition to the smaller mRNA or as the only hybridizing band.