Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6, also known as LPA
6, P2RY5 and GPR87, is a
protein that in humans is encoded by the ''LPAR6''
gene.
LPA
6 is a
G protein-coupled receptor that binds the
lipid signaling
Lipid signaling, broadly defined, refers to any biological signaling event involving a lipid messenger that binds a protein target, such as a receptor, kinase or phosphatase, which in turn mediate the effects of these lipids on specific cellular r ...
molecule
lysophosphatidic acid (LPA).
The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the family of G-protein coupled receptors, that are preferentially activated by
adenosine
Adenosine ( symbol A) is an organic compound that occurs widely in nature in the form of diverse derivatives. The molecule consists of an adenine attached to a ribose via a β-N9-glycosidic bond. Adenosine is one of the four nucleoside building ...
and
uridine nucleotides. This gene aligns with an internal
intron
An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is not expressed or operative in the final RNA product. The word ''intron'' is derived from the term ''intragenic region'', i.e. a region inside a gene."The notion of the cistron .e., gene. ...
of the
retinoblastoma susceptibility gene in the reverse orientation.
Role in hair growth/loss
In February 2008, researchers at the
University of Bonn announced they have found the genetic basis of two distinct forms of inherited hair loss, opening a broad path to
treatments for baldness. They found that mutations in the gene P2RY5 causes a rare, inherited form of
hair loss called
hypotrichosis simplex
Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarrin ...
. It is the first
receptor
Receptor may refer to:
* Sensory receptor, in physiology, any structure which, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse
*Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and responds to a ...
in humans known to play a role in hair growth. The fact that any receptor plays a specific role in hair growth was previously unknown to scientists, and with this new knowledge a focus on finding more of these genes may be able to lead to therapies for many different types of hair loss.
In 2013, it was found that mutations in ''LPAR6'' give rise to the
Cornish Rex
The Cornish Rex is a breed of domestic cat. The Cornish Rex has no hair except for down. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in their coats: the outer fur or "guard hairs", a middle layer called the "awn hair"; and the down ha ...
cat breed, which has a form of
ectodermal dysplasia characterised by short woolly hair which is susceptible to loss.
See also
*
Lysophospholipid receptor
*
P2Y receptor
P2Y receptors are a family of purinergic G protein-coupled receptors, stimulated by nucleotides such as adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, uridine triphosphate, uridine diphosphate and UDP-glucose.To date, 8 P2Y receptors have been c ...
References
Further reading
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External links
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G protein-coupled receptors
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