title: RNA splicing capability of live neuronal dendrites.
abstract: Dendrites are specialized extensions of the neuronal soma that contain components of the cellular machinery involved in RNA and protein metabolism. Several dendritically localized proteins are associated with the precursor-mRNA (pre-mRNA) splicing complex, or spliceosome. Although some spliceosome-related, RNA-binding proteins are known to subserve separate cytoplasmic functions when moving between the nucleus and cytoplasm, little is known about the pre-mRNA splicing capacity of intact dendrites. Here, we demonstrate the presence and functionality of pre-mRNA-splicing components in dendrites. When isolated dendrites are transfected with a chicken delta-crystallin pre-mRNA or luciferase reporter pre-mRNA, splicing junctions clustered at or near expected splice sites are observed. Additionally, in vitro synaptoneurosome experiments show that this subcellular fraction contains a similar complement of splicing factors that is capable of splicing chicken delta-crystallin pre-mRNA. These observations suggest that pre-mRNA-splicing factors found in the dendroplasm retain the potential to promote pre-mRNA splicing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glanzer
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Miyashiro
authors.forename: J-Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Sul
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Belt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haydon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eberwine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics; D012326:RNA Splicing; D051381:Rats; D038207:delta-Crystallins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012322:RNA Precursors; D038207:delta-Crystallins