G Protein Coupled Receptor 157 (GPR157)

GPR157 belongs to the Rhodopsin family of human G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).Diverse members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily participate in a variety of physiological functions and are major targets of pharmaceutical drugs. A direct comparison of GPCRs in the two species reveals an unexpected level of orthology. The evolutionary preservation of these molecules argues against functional redundancy among highly related receptors. Phylogenetic analyses cluster 60% of GPCRs according to ligand preference, allowing prediction of ligand types for dozens of orphan receptors. Expression profiling of 100 GPCRs demonstrates that most are expressed in multiple tissues and that individual tissues express multiple GPCRs. Over 90% of GPCRs are expressed in the brain.