Generation of New Knock-Out Mouse Strains of Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor 1

The lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1) is one of the six cognate G protein-coupled receptors of the bioactive, growth factor-like phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPAR1 is widely expressed in different cell types and mediates many LPA effects. LPAR1 has been implicated in several chronic inflammatory diseases, and especially pulmonary fibrosis, where it has been established as a promising therapeutic target. Herein, we present the generation of several <i>Lpar1</i> mouse strains through genetic recombination. These strains include an initial versatile <i>Lpar1</i> strain (tm1a) from which three other strains derive: an <i>Lpar1</i> reporter knockout strain (tm1b) where LacZ has replaced exon 3 of <i>Lpar1</i>; a "floxed" <i>Lpar1</i> strain (tm1c), where exon 3 is flanked by two loxP sites allowing conditional, cell-specific <i>Lpar1</i> inactivation; and a complete KO strain of <i>Lpar1</i> (tm1d), where exon 3 has been deleted. The generated strains are novel genetic tools, that can have various applications in studying LPA-LPAR1 signaling and its role in normal physiology and disease.