Membrane Progestin Receptor Alpha (MPRa)

The deduced human, pig, and mouse MPRA proteins contain 346 to 350 amino acids, consisting of an extracellular N terminus, an intracellular C terminus, and 7 transmembrane domains. Northern blot analysis detected a major 1.4-kb transcript and a minor 2.5-kb transcript expressed at high levels only in testis. RNA dot blot analysis detected highest expression in placenta, testis, and ovary, followed by uterus, bladder, kidney, and possibly adrenal gland.

MPRA, expressed by E. coli, showed high-affinity progesterone binding.Pglp was among the genes upregulated in a mouse model of hepatic steatosis caused by Pparg overexpression on a Ppara -/- background. Pglp expression was not upregulated in hepatic steatosis induced by fasting or choline deficiency.