Xanthomonas maltophilia possesses a unique high-affinity binding site which binds human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), but not human luteinizing hormone (hLH) or other glycoprotein hormones. We designed primers from the known nucleotide sequence of the human LH/CG receptor, spanning an area extending from transmembrane region 2 to transmembrane region 6. Genomic DNA extracted from Xanthomonas maltophilia was used to obtain a PCR amplified product using the above primers. The primary amplification product was cloned in a pCR11 TA cloning vector, and the partial nucleotide sequence of the gene determined. This determined sequence showed 73% identity with the human, as well as the rat LH/CG receptor. Comparison of the translated protein sequence with the human, rat and porcine receptor protein sequences showed a 52% similarity.