Axonal Transport of Eukaryotic Translation Elongation Factor 1α mRNA Couples Transcription in the Nucleus to Long-Term Facilitation at the Synapse

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 100; no. 23; pp. 13680 - 13685
• Main Authors: Giustetto, Maurizio, Hegde, Ashok N., Si, Kausik, Casadio, Andrea, Inokuchi, Kaoru, Pei, Wanzheng, Kandel, Eric R., Schwartz, James H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 11.11.2003; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antisense oligonucleotides; Aplysia; Axons; Biological Sciences; elongation factor eEF-1^a; elongation factor eEF-1a; Messenger RNA; Neurons; Neuroscience; Protein synthesis; Sensory neurons; Serotonin receptors; Synapses
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1835674100

Long-term synaptic plasticity requires both gene expression in the nucleus and local protein synthesis at synapses. The effector proteins that link molecular events in the cell body with local maintenance of synaptic strength are not known. We now show that treatment with serotonin (5-HT) that produces long-term facilitation induces the Aplysia eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1α (Ap-eEF1A) as a late gene that might serve this coupling function in sensory neurons. Although the translation factor is induced, it is not transported into axon processes when the stimulation with 5-HT was restricted to the cell body. In contrast, its mRNA is transported when 5-HT was applied to both cell body and synapses. Intracellular injection of antisense oligonucleotides or antibodies that block the induction and expression of Ap-eEFIA do not affect the initial expression of long-term facilitation but do block its maintenance beyond 24 h. The transport of eEFIA protein and its mRNA to nerve terminals suggests that the translation factor plays a role in the local protein synthesis that is essential for maintaining newly formed synapses.