loss of vascular permeability responses in skin to LTE4 but not to LTC4 or LTD4. Other studies on model cells for allergy have defined GPR17 (also termed the uracil nucleotide/cysteinyl leukotriene receptor) as a receptor not only uracil nucleotides but also for CysLTs, with CysLTs having the following potencies LTD4>LTC4>LTE4 in stimulating GPR17-bearing cells. However, recent studies also working with model cells involved in allergy find that GPR17-bearing cells do not respond to these CysLTs (or uracil nucleotides). Rather, they find that: a) cells expressing both CysLTR1 and GPR17 receptors exhibit a marked reduction in binding and responding to LTD4 and b) mice lacking GPR17 are hyper-responsive to igE in a model for passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. The latter studies conclude that GPR17 acts to inhibit CysLTR1. Finally, and in striking contrast to these studies, repeated studies on neural tissues find that Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells express GPR17 and respond through this receptor to LTC4, LTD4, and certain purines (see GPR17#Function). CysLTR2 inhibitors There are as yet no selective inhibitors of CysLTR2 that are in clinical use (see Clinical significance section below). However, Gemilukast (ONO-6950) reportedly inhibits both CysLTR1 and CysLTR2. The drug is currently being evaluated in phase II trials for the treatment of asthma. CysLTR2 polymorphism Polymorphism in the CysLTR2'' gene resulting in a single amino acid substitution, M201V (i.e. amino acid methionine changed for valine at the 201 position of CysLTR2 protein) has been negatively associated in Transmission disequilibrium testing with the inheritance of asthma in separate populations of: a) white and African-Americans from 359 families with a high prevalence of asthma in Denmark and Minnesota, USA, and b)''' 384 families with a high prevalence of asthma from the Genetics of Asthma International Network. The M201V CysLTR2 variant exhibits decreased responsiveness to LTD4 suggesting that this hypo-responsiveness underlies its asthma transmission-protecting effect. A -1220A>C (i.e. nucleotide adenine substituted for cytosine at position 1220 upstream from the transcription start site) gene polymorphism variant in intron III the upstream region of CysLTR2 has been associated significantly with development of asthma in a Japanese population; the impact of this polymorphism on the genes expression or product has not been determined. These results suggest that CYSLTR2 contributes to the etiology and development asthma and that drugs targeting CYSLTR2 may work in a manner that differs from those of CYSLTR1 antagonists. Clinical significance The CysLT-induced activation of CysLTR2 induces many of the same in