Open AccessRNA transport and local translation in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease
Author(s) -
Michael S. Fernandopulle,
Jennifer LippincottSchwartz,
Michael E. Ward
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nature neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 13.403
H-Index - 422
eISSN - 1546-1726
pISSN - 1097-6256
DOI - 10.1038/s41593-020-00785-2
Subject(s) - neurodegeneration , rna , axoplasmic transport , neuroscience , biology , translation (biology) , rna binding protein , microbiology and biotechnology , transport protein , disease , genetics , gene , messenger rna , medicine , pathology
Neurons decentralize protein synthesis from the cell body to support the active metabolism of remote dendritic and axonal compartments. The neuronal RNA transport apparatus, composed of cis-acting RNA regulatory elements, neuronal transport granule proteins, and motor adaptor complexes, drives the long-distance RNA trafficking required for local protein synthesis. Over the past decade, advances in human genetics, subcellular biochemistry, and high-resolution imaging have implicated each member of the apparatus in several neurodegenerative diseases, establishing failed RNA transport and associated processes as a unifying pathomechanism. In this review, we deconstruct the RNA transport apparatus, exploring each constituent's role in RNA localization and illuminating their unique contributions to neurodegeneration.