alpha -melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor

摘要

The present invention relates to a mammalian alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor. The invention is directed toward the isolation, characterization and pharmacological use of mammalian melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor, the gene corresponding to this receptor, a recombinant eukaryotic expression construct capable of expressing a mammalian melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor in cultures of transformed eukaryotic cells and such cultures of transformed eukaryotic cells that synthesize mammalian melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor. The invention also provides methods for screening MSH-R agonists and antagonists in vitro using preparations of receptor from such cultures of eukaryotic cells transformed with a recombinant eukaryotic expression construct comprising the MSH-R receptor gene. The invention specifically provides human and mouse MSH-R genes.