G-protein coupled receptor 143 (also known as ocular albinism type 1, OA1) is a receptor for tyrosine, L-DOPA and dopamine. After binding to L-DOPA, it stimulates Ca2+ influx into the cytoplasm, increases secretion of the neurotrophic factor SERPINF1 and relocalises beta arrestin at the plasma membrane; this ligand-dependent signaling occurs through a G(q)-mediated pathway in melanocytic cells []. Ocular albinism type 1 is an X-linked disorder characterisedby severe impairment of visual acuity, retinal hypopigmentation and the presence of macromelanosomes. A novel transcript from the OA1 critical region is expressed in high levels in RNA samples from retina and from melanoma and encodes a potential integral membrane protein [].
