Impaired motor functions in mice lacking the RNA-binding protein Hzf.
Local protein synthesis in dendrites plays an important role in some aspects of neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. Neuronal RNA-binding proteins regulate the transport and/or translation of the localized mRNAs. Previously, we reported that hematopoietic zinc finger (Hzf) is one of the neuronal RNA-binding proteins that regulate these processes. The Hzf protein is highly expressed in neuronal cells including hippocampal pyramidal neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells, and plays essential roles in the dendritic mRNA localization and translation. In the present study we demonstrated that mice lacking Hzf (Hzf(-/-) mice) exhibited severe impairments of motor coordination and cerebellum-dependent motor learning. These findings raise the possibility that the post-transcriptional regulation by Hzf may contribute to some aspects of synaptic plasticity and motor learning in the cerebellum.
Iijima
Takatoshi
T
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjyuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
Ogura
Hiroo
H
Takatsuki
Kanako
K
Kawahara
Shigenori
S
Wakabayashi
Kenichiro
K
Nakayama
Daisuke
D
Fujioka
Masato
M
Kimura
Yuki
Y
Bernstein
Alan
A
Okano
Hirotaka James
HJ
Kirino
Yutaka
Y
Okano
Hideyuki
H
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000235:genetics
D011506:Proteins; C404217:Zfp385 protein, mouse