Local protein synthesis is a ubiquitous feature of neuronal pre- and postsynaptic compartments
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Local translation in presynaptic terminals: Proteins carry out most of the functions in cells, including neurons, which are one of the most morphologically complex cell types in the body. This poses challenges for how proteins can be supplied to remote regions where connections (synapses) are made with other neurons. One solution to the neuron protein-supply problem involves the local synthesis of proteins from messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules located at or near synapses. Hafner et al. used RNA sequencing methods and superresolution microscopy to show that axon terminals contain hundreds of mRNA molecules as well as the machinery needed for protein synthesis. Furthermore, the axon terminals were able to use these components to make proteins that participate in synaptic transmission. Science , this issue p. eaau3644
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Synaptosome genes and ambient RNA are enriched within nucleus-abundant genes.
“This is supported by the enrichment of synaptosome genes (NES = 1.82, padj = 3.6e-05, Figure 2A; Hafner et al., 2019) and ambient RNA—mRNA originating not from intact cells/nuclei but from free-floating transcripts (Macosko et al., 2015)—(NES = 1.71, padj = 9.2e-05; Figure 2A; Figure S2D) within the nucleus-abundant genes.”
From Single-Nucleus RNA-Seq Is Not Suitable for Detection of Microglial Activation Genes in Humans (2020) · cites this paper as Hafner et al., 2019
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References 62 · Cited by 431
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- M. R. Akins, H. E. Berk-Rauch, J. R. Fallon, Presynaptic translation: stepping out of the postsynaptic shadow. Front Neural Circuits 3, 17 (2009).
- J. Zhong, T. Zhang, L. M. Bloch, Dendritic mRNAs encode diversified functionalities in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. BMC Neurosci 7, 17 (2006).
- Y. Benjamini, Y. Hochberg, Controlling the False Discovery Rate: A Practical and Powerful Approach to Multiple Testing. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series B (Methodological) 57, 289-300 (1995).
- Authors
- Hafner, A.-S., Donlin-Asp, P. G., Leitch, B., Herzog, E., & Schuman, E. M.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research (DE)
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux, UMR 5297, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
- Corresponding author
- Schuman, Erin M.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2019-05-17
- Volume
- 364
- Issue
- 6441
- Pages
- eaau3644
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2945232783
- Cited by
- 431
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 46 · 2025: 66 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 61 · 2019: 18
- FWCI
- 24.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- European Molecular Biology Organization (ALTF 1095-2015)
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (FRA 1184902 HFST-P)
- H2020 European Research Council (743216)
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-10-LABX-43 BRAIN Dolipran)
- Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (ING20150532192)
- France-BioImaging (Access-1576)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Keywords
- local protein synthesis, presynaptic terminals, postsynaptic compartment, dendritic mRNA localization, ribosome, synaptic plasticity, hippocampus, forebrain, synaptosomes, expansion microscopy
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cells, Cultured, Cerebral Cortex, Dendrites, Mice, Mutant Strains, Neuronal Plasticity, Neurons, Pituitary Gland, Rats, Inbred Strains, Ribosomes, RNA, Messenger, Synapses, Protein Biosynthesis, Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1, Mice, Rats
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