Identification of a prostate-specific G-protein coupled receptor in prostate cancer

Membrane receptors coupled to heterotrimeric G-proteins play an essential role in the transmission of signals from the extracellular environment to the cytoplasm of the cell. A wide variety of external stimuli, including neurotransmitters, hormones, phospholipids, photons, odorants, taste ligands, and growth factors, can activate specific members of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Besides essential functions in fully differentiated cells and tissues, GPCRs are also involved in embryogenesis, tissue regeneration, cell growth stimulation, and cell proliferation. In this study, we identified a novel prostate-specific G-protein coupled receptor that interacts with Gα₁₂ in our yeast two-hybrid assays. The expression of the receptor protein is highly restricted to human prostate tissues using multiple-tissue Northern blot analysis, and tissue expression array. Furthermore, the expression of prostate-specific receptor is increased significantly in prostate tumors in comparison with the matched normal prostate tissues using PCR and Southern blot analysis, suggesting a potential role of this tissue-specific G-protein coupled receptor in prostate cancer development.