Cloning of dopamine D 4 receptor genesThe human D 4 receptor gene (D4DR) was initially cloned from human neuroblastoma cells using probes complementary to mRNA sequences required to synthesize D 2 receptor proteins, and was found to encode a protein product typically containing 387 amino acids. 3 The D4DR gene was soon localized to region 15.5 of the long (q) arm of human chromosome 11. 4 with an initial external amino terminus and final intracellular segment ending with a carboxy moiety. The third intracellular cytoplasmic loop (IL 3 ) of the receptor peptide chain between the proposed fifth and sixth transmembrane segments (TM V , TM VI ) and the intracytoplasmic carboxyl terminal segment are believed to couple to G-proteins and interact with other molecular elements involved in DA-mediated synaptic neurotransmission. 3 Indeed, the molecular differentiation of the five main members of the DA receptor family is based largely on the length and amino acid sequences of IL 3 and the intracellular carboxy terminal segment. 1 The D 4 receptor protein contains several post-translationally modifiable elements common to D 2 -like DA receptors, including at least one potential site for Nlinked glycosylation in the extracellular amino terminus, several likely phosphorylation sites in IL 3 that may act as targets for protein kinases A and C, a cysteine residue at the end of the carboxyl terminal segment, two serine residues in the third cytoplasmic domain that may provide positive charge involving in 'docking' of the electronegative catechol groups of DA, and two acidic aspartate residues within TM II and TM III that may account for docking of the amino group of DA. 1,3 Additional features include disulfide bridging of TM III and TM IV that may contribute to the stability of a proposed cup-like arrangement of the D 4 receptor protein in the lipid membrane environment. 5 The D 4 receptor peptide sequence also contains several putative domains (the Src homology 3 [SH3] binding regions that strongly interact with small adapter peptides, including Grb2 and Nck, required for full func-