CU investigators have generated the IP3R3-tauGFP mouse model that expresses a fluorescent protein specifically in the microvillus cells of the mouse main olfactory epithelium (MOE). This mouse model was created by linking the IP3R3 promoter to the coding region of a tau-GFP fusion protein and inserted into the mouse genome. Researchers have used the IP3R3-tauGFP mice for detailed imaging and characterization of the microvillus cells, which are an MOE cell type whose function is not well understood. This creates a mouse model for further studies on the microvillus cells, taste transduction, and for designing compounds to modulate taste sensation.
Hegg CC, Jia C, Chick WS, Restrepo D, and Hansen A. Microvillous cells expressing IP3 receptor type 3 in the olfactory epithelium of mice. European Journal of Neuroscience. 2010; 32(10):1632-45.