Visualization of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type III with green fluorescent protein in living cells

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) is an intracellular Ca2+ channel that releases Ca2+ into the cytosol and its subcellular distribution is believed to have significant effects on Ca2+ signalling. We constructed a plasmid vector containing full-length rat type 3 IP3R linked to GFP (GFP-IP3R) for expression in mammalian cells. Western blot analyses revealed that the expressed fusion protein contained both GFP and full-length type 3 IP3R. Fluorescence confocal microscopy showed that the fluorescence of GFP-IP3R3 was distributed to reticular network structures, even after cell permeabilization with saponin. We further visualized intracellular membranes with DiOC6, a vital fluorescent marker for intracellular membranes, and provide evidence that the distribution of GFP-IP3R3 overlaps with the distribution of the endoplasmic reticulum. Our results indicate that GFP-IP3R3 can be used to visualize IP3R in living cells, and pave the way for subsequent mutational and functional studies.