Unidentified receptor

The term "Unidentified receptor" does not refer to a specific, named therapeutic target in humans or standard biomedical databases but appears in research contexts for orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) lacking identified ligands, such as BNGR-A16 in the silkworm Bombyx mori, which was deorphanized as the allatotropin (AT) receptor involved in regulating juvenile hormone biosynthesis via indirect signaling in the corpora cardiaca.[1][7] In mammals, similar orphan GPCRs like GPR151 are expressed in the habenula, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglia, potentially modulating presynaptic neurotransmitter release, pain, inflammation, reward, and cognition, though no endogenous ligand or approved drugs are confirmed.[6] These receptors highlight challenges in neuropeptide signaling research, where systematic transcriptome analyses in model organisms like insects have identified novel pathways, but human relevance remains exploratory without targeted therapeutics.[1][6][7] No evidence positions "Unidentified receptor" as a druggable human target class, distinguishing it from characterized receptors like those in cancer profiling studies.[3][9][10] Overall, it underscores ongoing efforts to deorphan GPCRs for potential disease roles, but lacks specificity for biotech applications.[1][6]

Other names

Orphan receptorBNGR-A16 (in Bombyx mori silkworm)GPR151