ABSTRACT
W e have id e n tif ie d a n o v e l p ro te in req u ired for signal tra n sd u c tio n at CG RP recep to rs. T h is p ro te in does n o t appear to be a receptor itself, b u t is required for CGRP receptor activation. We hypo th esize th a t this p rotein is part o f a com plex o f proteins tha t together constitute a CGRP receptor, and have nam ed this p rotein the CG RP-receptor com ponent p ro tein (RCP). RCP expression is regulated in parallel w ith CGRP biological activity, and prelim inary data suggest tha t RCP is a peripheral m em brane protein required for CG R P-m ediated s ig n a l t r a n s d u c t io n in Xenopus laevis oocytes and in N IH 3T3 cells. These data suggest tha t in oocytes and N IH 3T3 cells, RCP w orks in con junction w ith a m em brane-spanning CG R P-binding pro tein to form functional CGRP receptors.
