Trace amine-associated receptor

Trace amine-associated receptors, abbreviated TAAR and otherwise known as trace amine receptors, abbreviated TAR or TA, are a class of G protein-coupled receptors identified in 2001.

These receptors have gained considerable interest in academic and pharmaceutical industry research as putative endogenous receptors for trace amines, metabolic derivatives of classical biogenic amines and the psychostimulants amphetamine and methamphetamine.

In 2004 it was shown that in mammals TAAR1 is probably a receptor for thyronamines, decarboxylated and deiodinated metabolites of the thyroid hormones, while the mouse mTAAR2 - mTAAR9 receptors are most probably olfactory receptors for volatile amines.

Mammalian TAAR complement
The following is a list of the TAARs contained in selected mammalian genomes:


 * Human — 7 genes (TAAR1, TAAR2, TAAR3, TAAR5, TAAR6, TAAR8, TAAR9) and 2 pseudogenes
 * Chimpanzee — 3 genes and 6 pseudogenes
 * Mouse — 15 genes and 1 pseudogene
 * Rat — 17 genes and 2 pseudogenes
 * Zebrafish — 112 genes and 4 pseudogenes
 * Frog — 3 genes and 0 pseudogenes
 * Medaka — 25 genes and 1 pseudogenes
 * Stickleback — 25 genes and 1 pseudogenes