Infographic: Beyond the Nucleus: mRNA Localization in Neurons

To support thousands of incoming connections, neurons use sophisticated transportation networks for delivering mRNA to faraway regions.

Written byDanielle Gerhard, PhD

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Infographic showing the localization of mRNA from the neuronal cell body to distant spines.

3’ UTRs encode information about mRNA localization, translation efficiency, and stability (1).¹mRNA is packaged with translational machinery into transport granules, which hitch a ride on motor proteins that drive along microtubule highways (2).²

Following stimulation, cruising transport granules arrive at synapses and unload their contents. The mRNA anchors to the neuronal spine and undergoes translation (3). With repeated stimulation, synapses undergo synaptic plasticity whereby protein accumulation leads to spine head enlargement and strengthened connectivity (4).

References

Glock C, et al. mRNA transport & local translation in neurons. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2017; 45:169-177.
Das S, et al. Intracellular mRNA transport and localized translation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2021;22:483-504.

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Meet the Author

Danielle Gerhard, PhD
Danielle is a Senior Editor at The Scientist. She earned her PhD in psychology and behavioral neuroscience from Yale University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms of stress and depression across development. She has served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, contributed stories to BioTechniques News and Drug Discovery News, and engaged in various science outreach initiatives across Connecticut and NYC.
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