In gastric parietal cells the histamine H2 receptor is involved in gastric acid secretion. Molecular cloning of the cDNA for the histamine H2 receptor has revealed that the receptor is a member of the G-protein coupled receptor family. We expressed histamine H2 receptors in CHO cells, COS7 cells, and Sf9 cells to analyze N-glycosylation, palmitoylation, and desensitization of the H2 receptor, which are difficult to analyze in isolated parietal cells. The findings obtained in these systems will be useful for studying the gastric acid secretion mechanisms in parietal cells.