| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Gene Symbol | dcar-1 |
| Full Name | DihydroCaffeic Acid Receptor-1 |
| Systematic Name | C06H5.7 |
| UniProt ID | G5EDI0 |
| Organism | *Caenorhabditis elegans* |
| Protein Type | G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), predicted 7-transmembrane receptor; consistent with rhodopsin-like 7TM annotation in UniProt (pqac-00000000) |
| Domain | GPCR_Rhodpsn_7TM / IPR017452; literature describes DCAR-1 as a GPCR/7TM receptor (pqac-00000000, pqac-00000001) |
| Endogenous Ligand | 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (HPLA), a tyrosine-derived damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) that accumulates after infection or injury (pqac-00000000, pqac-00000001, pqac-00000004) |
| Tissue Expression | Epidermis/hypodermis, especially the apical epidermal syncytium; also reported in sensory neurons, although immune function is epidermis-specific (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000008) |
| Functional Localization | Cell surface receptor localized to the apical part of the epidermal syncytium hyp7 (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000003) |
| Primary Function | DAMP-sensing GPCR that activates epidermal innate immunity in response to fungal infection and wounding (pqac-00000000, pqac-00000002, pqac-00000020) |
| Key Biological Processes | Antifungal defense against *Drechmeria coniospora*, wound response, and induction of antimicrobial peptide genes including *nlp* family targets such as *nlp-29* (pqac-00000000, pqac-00000010, pqac-00000014) |
| Initial Characterization | Initially characterized behaviorally as a seven-transmembrane receptor mediating avoidance to dihydrocaffeic acid (Aoki et al. 2011; identified in retrieved literature but full text unavailable in tool search). Subsequently established as an innate immune receptor activated by endogenous HPLA to trigger AMP expression during epidermal damage/infection (summarized in later reviews citing the 2014 primary work) (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000004, pqac-00000020) |


*Table: This table summarizes the verified identity, ligand, localization, and core biological role of the C. elegans GPCR DCAR-1. It is useful as a quick reference to distinguish this receptor from similarly named genes and to anchor interpretation of the downstream immune signaling literature.*