The Biological Importance of the Amino Acid Transporter SLC38A10 : Characterization of a Knockout Mouse

Sammanfattning: The biggest group of transporters, the solute carriers (SLCs), has more than 400 members, and about 30% of these are still orphan. In order to decipher their biological function and possible role in disease, there is a need for characterization of these. Around 25% of SLCs are estimated to have amino acids as substrates, including transporters belonging to the SLC38 family. The SLC38 members are sometimes referred to their alternative name: sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporters (SNATs). One of these transporters, SNAT10 (or SLC38A10), has been characterized as a bidirectional transporter of glutamate, glutamine, alanine and aspartate, as well as having an efflux of serine, and is ubiquitously expressed in the body. However, its biological importance is not yet understood. The aim with this thesis was to characterize a mouse model deficient in SNAT10 protein in order to find the biological importance of this transporter. In paper I, this is done by using a series of behavioral tests, including the open field test, elevated plus maze, rotarod and Y-maze, among others. The SNAT10 knockout mouse was found to have an increased risk-taking behavior, but no motor or spatial working memory impairments. Furthermore, the knockout mouse was found to have a decreased body weight. In paper II, an additional behavioral characterization was performed by using the multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) test. The MCSF test is an arena with different zones associated to different behavioral traits, which generates a behavioral profile depending on where the mouse spends its time. The result from this test implies that the SNAT10 deficient mouse has a lower explorative behavior than its wild type littermates. In paper III, gene expression was studied in whole brain and some genes related to cell cycle regulation and p53 expression were found to be differentially expressed in the knockout brain. Additional gene expression was studied in kidney, liver, lung and muscle, but no changes were found. Plasma levels of histidine and threonine were altered in males, but no altered amino acid levels were found in knockout females, suggesting a possible sex-specific effect. These studies together imply that SNAT10 might be involved in processes related to risk-taking and explorative behavior in the open field and MCSF tests. SNAT10 deficiency also affected amino acid levels in plasma, indicating a disrupted amino acid homeostasis.