Topic: dendritic mRNAs

To facilitate rapid changes in protein composition in axons and dendrites, neurons can translate mRNAs into proteins at distal sites. This machinery requires long-range transport of specific mRNAs, which are packaged into granules by RNA-binding proteins and carried by kinesin motor proteins along microtubule. Local mRNA translation is crucial for dendritic spine development and plasticity. Nonetheless, whether different mRNAs are distributed in a specific manner near synapses and how is their localization regulated after synaptic stimulation are not well-characterized. Consistent with previou

One crucial component for synaptic functionality is the proteome within the spines, which is fueled by local mRNA translation and the influx of proteins from the dendrite. A neuron could recruit proteins from the dendritic pool or increase local synthesis to increase the protein number at the synapses. However, since only about 10-20% of proteins have local mRNAs in the dendrites, the question arises; how do the other 80-90% of dendritic and synaptic proteins dynamically control their copy numbers without having the ability to increase the synthesis rate of the protein of interest locally. We