AAV-Mediated Gene Delivery to Taste Cells of the Tongue

Taste sensation is initiated in sensory cells within the taste buds (taste cells), in which the cooperation of many signaling molecules leads to the coding and transmission of information on the quality and intensity of taste to the afferent gustatory nerves. Here, we describe our method for inducing foreign gene expression in taste cells of fungiform papillae in a living mouse using a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector, enabling us to study and control the function of a gene product in vivo. Among the serotypes tested to date, only AAV-DJ, a synthetic serotype, can transduce taste cells in vivo. We also describe how to validate intragemmal foreign gene expression in fungiform taste buds using an immunohistochemical approach.