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March 2007 Mouse of the Month |
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ERAI transgenic mouse A model for monitoring endoplasmic reticulum stress BRC No. 01099_ERAI mice
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 BRC No.01099 ERAI mice |
 Fluorescence activity in internal organs of ERAI transgenic mice injected with PBS (left) or tunicamycin (right) |
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is caused by the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, and is associated with vascular and neurodegenerative diseases. ERAI (ER stress-activated indicator) transgenic mice carry human XBP1 and venus (a variant of green fluorescent protein) fusion gene under control of a CAG promoter. The transcripts from ERAI constructs are spliced under ER stress, the spliced mRNA is translated into an XBP1-venus fusion protein, which can be detected by fluorescence of the venus. This strain is useful to monitor physiological and pathological ER stress in vivo.
