title: Local synthesis of the rat Vasopressin precursor in dendrites of in vitro cultured nerve cells.
abstract: Vasopressin (VP) mRNA is subject to dendritic targeting both in vivo and in primary cultured neurons microinjected with an appropriate expression vector. We have constructed a vector encoding the mutant Brattleboro rat VP precursor which is non-diffusable, because it cannot leave the site of its synthesis, the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Expression of this construct in cultured nerve cells shows that the mutant protein is readily detectable in dendrites when mRNA transport has occurred, while dendrites devoid of the mRNA lack the protein. These results demonstrate that neurons have the capacity to locally synthesize secretory proteins in the dendritic compartment.
authors.affiliation: Institut fuer Zellbiochemie und Klinische Neurobiologie, University of Hamburg, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. emohr@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Evita
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002451:Cell Compartmentation / Q000502:physiology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008845:Microinjections; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011910:Rats, Brattleboro; D017783:Superior Cervical Ganglion / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014667:Vasopressins