TRAR4: Proteins and Enzymes

FUNCTION: Orphan receptor. Could be a receptor for trace amines. Trace amines are biogenic amines present in very low levels in mammalian tissues. Although some trace amines have clearly defined roles as neurotransmitters in invertebrates, the extent to which they function as true neurotransmitters in vertebrates has remained speculative. Trace amines are likely to be involved in a variety of physiological functions that have yet to be fully understood. SUBCELLULAR LOCATION: Cell membrane; Multi-pass membrane protein. TISSUE SPECIFICITY: Expressed at low abundance in various brain tissues, as well as in fetal liver, but not in the cerebellum or placenta. In the brain, comparable levels of expression in basal ganglia, frontal cortex, substantia nigra, amygdala and hippocampus, highest expression in hippocampus and lowest expression in basal ganglia.