title: CaM I mRNA is localized to apical dendrites during postnatal development of neurons in the rat brain.
abstract: In the rat, a single calmodulin (CaM) protein is encoded by three separate genes which produce five different transcripts. The significance of the multiple CaM genes is not known; however, individual CaM transcripts could be targeted to specific intracellular sites. In this report, the cellular distribution of CaM I mRNAs was analyzed in the postnatal rat brain. The 4.0-kb CaM I transcript was present in neuronal cell bodies and also localized to apical dendritic processes. In cerebral cortical neurons, the 4.0-kb CaM I mRNA was detected in apical dendrites at postnatal day (PD) 5 to 15. In hippocampal neurons, this CaM message was present in dendritic processes from PD S to 20, whereas in Purkinje neurons it was detected in dendrites at PD 15 and 20. The presence of the 4.0-kb CaM I mRNA in dendrites of the rat brain supports the notion of targeting transcripts derived from the CaM multigene family to discrete intracellular destinations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000235:genetics*; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D012333:RNA, Messenger