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Ehrlich AT, Semache M, Couvineau P, Wojcik S, Kobayashi H, Thelen M, Gross F, Hogue M, Le Gouill C, Darcq E, Bouvier M, Kieffer BL. Ackr3-Venus knock-in mouse lights up brain vasculature. Mol Brain 2021; 14:151. [PMID: 34583741 PMCID: PMC8477500 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00862-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The atypical chemokine receptor 3, ACKR3, is a G protein-coupled receptor, which does not couple to G proteins but recruits βarrestins. At present, ACKR3 is considered a target for cancer and cardiovascular disorders, but less is known about the potential of ACKR3 as a target for brain disease. Further, mouse lines have been created to identify cells expressing the receptor, but there is no tool to visualize and study the receptor itself under physiological conditions. Here, we engineered a knock-in (KI) mouse expressing a functional ACKR3-Venus fusion protein to directly detect the receptor, particularly in the adult brain. In HEK-293 cells, native and fused receptors showed similar membrane expression, ligand induced trafficking and signaling profiles, indicating that the Venus fusion does not alter receptor signaling. We also found that ACKR3-Venus enables direct real-time monitoring of receptor trafficking using resonance energy transfer. In ACKR3-Venus knock-in mice, we found normal ACKR3 mRNA levels in the brain, suggesting intact gene transcription. We fully mapped receptor expression across 14 peripheral organs and 112 brain areas and found that ACKR3 is primarily localized to the vasculature in these tissues. In the periphery, receptor distribution aligns with previous reports. In the brain there is notable ACKR3 expression in endothelial vascular cells, hippocampal GABAergic interneurons and neuroblast neighboring cells. In conclusion, we have generated Ackr3-Venus knock-in mice with a traceable ACKR3 receptor, which will be a useful tool to the research community for interrogations about ACKR3 biology and related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aliza T Ehrlich
- Douglas Research Center, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
- University of California, San Francisco, USA.
| | - Meriem Semache
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
- Domain Therapeutics North America, Montréal, Québec, H4S 1Z9, Canada
| | - Pierre Couvineau
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Stefan Wojcik
- Douglas Research Center, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
- Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Hiroyuki Kobayashi
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Marcus Thelen
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Florence Gross
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
- Domain Therapeutics North America, Montréal, Québec, H4S 1Z9, Canada
| | - Mireille Hogue
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Christian Le Gouill
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Emmanuel Darcq
- Douglas Research Center, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Michel Bouvier
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada.
| | - Brigitte L Kieffer
- Douglas Research Center, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
- INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
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