Molecular analysis of a new splice variant of the human melanocortin‐1 receptor

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Abstract
The primary hormonal regulator of pigmentation is melanocyte stimulating hormone derived from proopiomelanocortin by proteolytic processing. The melanocortin‐1 receptor serves a key role in the regulation of pigmentation. We describe the identification of the first intron within a melanocortin receptor. A new melanocortin‐1 receptor isoform, generated by alternative mRNA splicing, encodes an additional 65 amino acids at the predicted intracellular, C‐terminal tail of the melanocortin‐1 receptor. When expressed in heterologous cells, the new spliced form of the melanocortin‐1 receptor (melanocortin‐1 receptor B) appears pharmacologically similar to the non‐spliced melanocortin‐1 receptor. Melanocortin‐1 receptor B is expressed in testis, fetal heart and melanomas.