Articles

  • the Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences

Article

Original

Exp Neurobiol 2003; 12(2): 117-125

Published online December 31, 2003

© The Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences

Utility of Ribosomal Marker to Measure Dendritic mRNA Transport

Hyong Kyu Kim*

Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Research, Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-768, Korea

Correspondence to: *To whom correspondence should be addressed.
TEL: 043-261-2867, FAX: 043-272-1603
e-mail: hkkim69@chungbuk.ac.kr

Abstract

The dendritic transport and their subsequent translation of certain mRNAs play important roles in synaptic plasticity. Recent evidences suggest that the mRNAs are transported by forming RNA granules, an aggregate of mRNA, ribosomal proteins, rRNA, and a RNA-binding protein such like staufen, to the dendritic regions. To measure the dendritic transport of RNA granules, antibody to ribosome-specific marker such as ribosomal L4 or S6 protein, and Y10B, monoclonal antibody specific for rRNA, were used in immunostaining of cultured hippocampal neuron. All markers showed significant immunoreactivities in the dendritic regions. In addition, overexpressed staufen was co-localized with Y10B and S6 signal activities. S6 signal activities were colocalized with Y10B signal activities in dendrites by double labeling method. Inhibiting GABA receptor by bicuculline treatment increased Y10B signal intensities in only distal dendrites, significantly. These results suggest the ribosomal marker can efficiently report the change of a dendritic mRNA transport. Taken together, these results demonstrate the utility of the ribosomal markers to detect RNA granules or mRNA transport in dendrites.

Keywords: Dendritic mRNA transport, hippocampal neuron, ribosomal marker, RNA granule, bicuculline