Molecular cloning and expression of a cDNA encoding a receptor for pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP).

We have cloned and sequenced a novel cDNA (RPR7) encoding a receptor for pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP). RPR7 was identified by PCR of rat pituitary cDNA, and full-length clones were isolated from a rat olfactory bulb cDNA library. When expressed in COS cells, RPR7 was functionally coupled to increases in intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in response to stimulation by PACAP-38, PACAP-27, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI). The order of potency of these ligands was PACAP-38-PACAP-27 > VIP > PHI, suggesting that the receptor corresponds to the pharmacologically characterised PACAP Type I receptor.