In Vitro Translation of D2 Dopamine Receptors and Their Chimeras: Analysis by Subtype-Specific Antibodies

We have developed a range of specific anti-peptide antibodies directed against the D-2 and D-3 dopamine receptors, and their alternatively spliced isoforms. To demonstrate the subtype- and isoform-specificities of these antibodies we have expressed the receptors in an in vitro translation system and have immunoprecipitated the expressed proteins. We have shown that the D-2 and D-3 receptors unexpectedly exhibit different migration properties on SDS-PAGE, in addition to displaying a significant difference between their predicted and apparent molecular weights. We have used D-2/D-3 chimaeric receptors to show that the differential migration between the subtypes can be attributed to the N-terminal half of the receptor and propose that the highly hydrophobic nature of the receptor proteins underlies their anomalous migration properties. 1994 Academic Press, Inc.