GPR3

Description

The GPR3 (G protein-coupled receptor 3) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 1.

GPR3 is a protein encoded by the GPR3 gene, which is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family of transmembrane receptors involved in signal transduction. GPR3 mRNA is widely expressed in neurons across various brain regions, including the cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, pituitary, and cerebellum. It is also found in the eye, lung, kidney, liver, testes, and ovary, among other tissues. Individuals with Alzheimer's disease often have an overexpression of the GPR3 protein in their neurons. GPR3 activates adenylate cyclase in the absence of a ligand, making it a constitutive activator of adenylate cyclase. This constitutive activity may be due to stimulation by a ubiquitous ligand that could be free, membrane-bound, or membrane-derived. Alternatively, it could be caused by basal Gs coupling. Subsequent research has supported the initial findings of GPR3's constitutive activation and demonstrated similar Gs activity in GPR6 and GPR12.

GPR3 is a constitutively active G-protein coupled receptor that maintains high levels of 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). It plays a role in various processes such as meiotic arrest in oocytes and neuronal development through activation of multiple intracellular signaling pathways. GPR3 acts as an essential activator of thermogenic adipocytes and drives thermogenesis via its intrinsic G(s)-coupling activity, independent of a ligand. GPR3 may modulate various brain functions, including behavioral responses to stress, amyloid-beta peptide generation in neurons, and stimulation of neurite outgrowth in cerebellar granular neurons via PKA, ERK, and particularly PI3K-mediated signaling pathways.

GPR3 is also known as ACCA.

Associated Diseases

WES Whole Exome Sequencing