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The Journal of Neuroscience, July 23, 2008, 28(30):7555-7562; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0104-08.2008

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Cellular/Molecular
Dynamic Interaction between P-Bodies and Transport Ribonucleoprotein Particles in Dendrites of Mature Hippocampal Neurons

Manuel Zeitelhofer,¹ Daniela Karra,¹ Paolo Macchi,^1,2 Marco Tolino,¹ Sabine Thomas,¹ Martina Schwarz,¹ Michael Kiebler,¹ and Ralf Dahm¹

¹Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria, and ²Centre for Integrative Biology, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, University of Trento, 38060 Mattarello, Trento, Italy

Correspondence should be addressed to Michael Kiebler, Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Email: michael.kiebler{at}meduniwien.ac.at

The dendritic localization of mRNAs and their subsequent translation at stimulated synapses contributes to the experience-dependent remodeling of synapses and thereby to the establishment of long-term memory. Localized mRNAs are transported in a translationally silent manner to distal dendrites in specific ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs), termed transport RNPs. A recent study suggested that processing bodies (P-bodies), which have recently been identified as sites of RNA degradation and translational control in eukaryotic cells, may participate in the translational control of dendritically localized mRNAs in Drosophila neurons. This study raised the interesting question of whether dendritic transport RNPs are distinct from P-bodies or whether those structures share significant overlap in their molecular composition in mammalian neurons. Here, we show that P-body and transport RNP markers do not colocalize and are not transported together in the same particles in dendrites of mammalian neurons. Detailed time-lapse videomicroscopy analyses reveal, however, that both P-bodies and transport RNPs can interact in a dynamic manner via docking. Docking is a frequent event involving as much as 50% of all dendritic P-bodies. Chemically induced neuronal activity results in a 60% decrease in the number of P-bodies in dendrites, suggesting that P-bodies disassemble after synaptic stimulation. Our data lend support to the exciting hypothesis that dendritically localized mRNAs might be stored in P-bodies and be released and possibly translated when synapses become activated.

Key words: P-bodies; ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs); hippocampal neurons; dendritic localization; dynamic movement; RNA localization

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Received Jan. 10, 2008; revised May 15, 2008; accepted May 25, 2008.

Correspondence should be addressed to Michael Kiebler, Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Email: michael.kiebler{at}meduniwien.ac.at

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Cougot, S. N. Bhattacharyya, L. Tapia-Arancibia, R. Bordonne, W. Filipowicz, E. Bertrand, and F. Rage Dendrites of Mammalian Neurons Contain Specialized P-Body-Like Structures That Respond to Neuronal Activation J. Neurosci., December 17, 2008; 28(51): 13793 - 13804. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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