Orlicky et al. (1996) isolated a protein that copurifies with bovine prostaglandin F-2-alpha receptor (FP) and cloned the corresponding rat cDNA. By screening cDNA libraries for sequences with the potential to encode large proteins expressed in brain, Nagase et al. (2000) identified a cDNA encoding FPRP, which they termed KIAA1436.

The deduced 924-amino acid protein was predicted to be 89% identical to rat Fprp. RT-PCR analysis detected wide expression that was highest in ovary and lung. Stipp et al. (2001) used moderately stringent Brij96/97 detergent extraction to show that FPRP associates specifically with CD81 and CD9 but not with other tetraspanin molecules, such as CD151. They determined that nearly all cell-surface FPRP is associated with CD9 and CD81.