The developing use of heterozygous mutant mouse models in brain monoamine transporter research

Allan V. Kalueff*, Renee F. Ren-Patterson, Dennis L. Murphy

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine and norepinephrine are important monoamine neurotransmitters implicated in multiple brain mechanisms and regulated by high-affinity transmembrane monoamine transporters. Although knockout mice lacking 5-HT, dopamine or norepinephrine transporters are widely used to assess brain monoamine processes, these models have several methodological limitations. There is mounting evidence that heterozygous mutant mice with reduced (but not abolished) monoamine transporter functions could provide models with greater relevance to the genetics of human disorders, which only rarely involve complete loss-of-function mutations. Here, we discuss why heterozygous mouse models, in addition to knockout mice, might be useful for brain monoamine transporter research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)122-127
Number of pages6
JournalTrends in Pharmacological Sciences
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2007
Externally publishedYes

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