Genetic dissection of the endocannabinoid system and how it changed our knowledge of cannabinoid pharmacology and mammalian physiology

Anatomical characterization of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in cell‐type–specific mutant mouse rescue models

“…Pharmacological blockade or genetic ablation of the receptor and its eventual behavioral and neuronal consequences are clear indications of the role of endocannabinoids in the brain. Hence, based on methodological “loss of function” approaches, the use of mutant mice lacking CB 1 receptors in specific cell populations helped in identifying the necessary role of the receptor for brain functions (Marsicano et al, ; Monory et al, ; Lutz, ; Martín‐García et al, ). Moreover, neuroanatomical analyses of these mutants determined the presence of the CB 1 receptor at sites previously not known (e.g., cortical glutamatergic neurons or neuronal mitochondria).…”

Discovery and characterization of two novel CB1 receptor splice variants with modified N‐termini in mouse

“…system can cause many pathologies (Maccarrone et al 2014;Di Marzo et al 2015;Lutz et al 2015). Many pre-clinical studies investigating the role of CB1 receptor signaling have been carried out in mice because of the versatility and availability of many transgenic models (Lutz 2014). CB1 receptor function can be very well studied in mouse, as the receptor is well conserved between mouse and human with 97% amino acid identity and 90% nucleotide identity (Abood 2005).…”