Functional lysophosphatidic acid receptors expressed in Oryzias latipes

• We characterized medaka LPA receptor genes, Lpar1–Lpar6.
• We determined the genomic structures of Lpar1 and Lpar4.
• Medaka LPA receptors except for LPA5b were functional in mammalian cells.
• Lpar5 was more divergent between mouse and fish than other LPA receptor genes.
• Our findings provide useful information on medaka LPA receptor genes.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling is known to play biological and pathophysiological roles in many types of animals. Medaka (Oryzias latipes) is an experimental fish that can be easily maintained, propagated, and analyzed, and whose genome has been completely sequenced. However, there is limited information available regarding medaka LPA receptors. Here, using information from the medaka genome database, we examine the genomic structures, expression, and functions of six LPA receptor genes, Lpar1–Lpar6. Our analyses reveal that the genomic structures of Lpar1 and Lpar4 are different from those deduced from the database. Functional analyses using a heterologous expression system demonstrate that all medaka LPA receptors except for LPA5b respond to LPA treatment with cytoskeletal changes. These findings provide useful information on the structure and function of medaka LPA receptor genes, and identify medaka as a useful experimental model for exploration of the biological significance of LPA signaling.