DOI

In the last two decades, interest has grown significantly in the investigation of the role of trace amines and their receptors in mammalian physiology and pathology. Trace amine-associated receptor 9 (TAAR9) is one of the least studied members of this receptor family with unidentified endogenous ligands and an unknown role in the central nervous system and periphery. In this study, we generated two new TAAR9 knockout (TAAR9-KO) rat strains by CRISPR-Cas9 technology as in vivo models to evaluate the role of TAAR9 in mammalian physiology. In these mutant rats, we performed a comparative analysis of a number of hematological and biochemical parameters in the blood. Particularly, we carried out a complete blood count, erythrocyte osmotic fragility test, and screening of a panel of basic biochemical parameters. No significant alterations in any of the hematological and most biochemical parameters were found between mutant and WT rats. However, biochemical studies revealed a significant decrease in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the blood of both strains of TAAR9-KO rats. Such role of TAAR9 in cholesterol regulation not only brings a new understanding of mechanisms and biological pathways of lipid exchange but also provides a new potential drug target for disorders involving cholesterol-related pathology, such as atherosclerosis.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2942
Pages (from-to)1-15
Number of pages15
JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volume22
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Mar 2021

    Research areas

  • Animal knockout model, Cholesterol, GPCR, Low-density lipoprotein, TAAR, TAAR9, Trace amine-associated receptor, Trace amines, Humans, Erythrocytes/metabolism, Rats, Gene Knockout Techniques, Osmotic Fragility/genetics, Central Nervous System/metabolism, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics, Animals, Cholesterol/blood, CRISPR-Cas Systems, Ligands, Atherosclerosis/blood, Disease Models, Animal, trace amines, animal knockout model, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, trace amine-associated receptor

    Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Spectroscopy
  • Catalysis
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

ID: 75652961