Nicotinic acid and its derivative, Acipimox, have been widely used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that they exert the beneficial effect through the activation of a Gi-protein-coupled receptor on adipocyte, which has remained elusive to date. Here we show that a novel GPCR, designated HM74b because of its high similarity to HM74, is a receptor for nicotinic acid. HM74b mRNA is found in human, murine, and rat adipose tissues. Nicotinic acid and Acipimox inhibit forskolin-stimulated intracellular cAMP accumulation in human HM74b-expressing cells and activate GTPgammaS binding in a dose-dependent manner. [H-3]Nicotinic acid specifically binds to HM74b-expressing membrane and its binding is replaced by Acipimox. This finding will open a new phase of research on the physiological role of nicotinic acid and will be a clue to develop novel antihyperlipidemic drugs. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.