The present invention relates to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a potent neurotrophin that exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities on a variety of cell types from both the central and peripheral nervous systems. The present invention involves the cloning and characterization of receptors for GDNF. Nucleic aci d and amino acid sequences are described for GDNFR protein products. A hydrophobic domain with the features of a signal peptide is foun d at the amino terminus, while a second hydrophobic domain at the carboxy terminus is involved in the linkage of the receptor to the cell membrane. The lack of a transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic region indicates that GDNFR requires one or more accessory molecules in orde r to mediate transmenbrane signaling. GDNFR mRNA is widely distributed in both nervous system and non-neural tissues, consistent with the similar distribution found for GDNF.
NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR RECEPTORS