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Two cis-acting elements in the 3′ untranslated region of α-CaMKII regulate its dendritic targeting

Nature Neuroscience volume 3, pages 1079–1084 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Dendritic localization of the α subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (αCaMKII) mRNA in CNS neurons requires its 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR). We investigated this targeting mechanism by identifying two cis-acting elements in the 3′UTR. One is a 30-nucleotide element that mediated dendritic translocation. A homologous sequence in the 3′UTR of neurogranin, transcripts of which also reside in dendrites, also funtioned in cis to promote its dendritic transport. Other putative elements in the αCaMKII mRNA inhibit its transport in a resting state. This inhibition was removed in depolarized neurons, and such activity-dependent derepression was a primary requirement for their dendritic targeting.

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Figure 1: Cloning of αCaMKII 3′UTR.
Figure 2: Expression plasmids containing GFP open reading frame and various regions of αCaMKII transcript, used to identify cis-acting element for dendritic targeting.
Figure 3: Characterization of a cis-acting element for dendritic localization of αCaMKII transcripts.
Figure 4: Membrane depolarization alters dendritic localization of the transcripts containing αCaMKII 3′UTRs.
Figure 5: Common cis elements for dendritic mRNA localization in αCaMKII and neurogranin (Ng).

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Acknowledgements

We thank Y. Matsuoka and Y. Yoneda for technical advice and discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Yasutake Mori, Kazunori Imaizumi, Taiichi Katayama, Takunari Yoneda & Masaya Tohyama

  2. Discovery Research Laboratory, Tanabe Seiyaku Corporation , 3-16-89 Kashima, Yodogawaku, 532-0031, Osaka , Japan

    Kazunori Imaizumi & Taiichi Katayama

  3. CREST of Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Saitama, Japan

    Yasutake Mori, Kazunori Imaizumi, Taiichi Katayama, Takunari Yoneda & Masaya Tohyama

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Correspondence to Yasutake Mori.

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Mori, Y., Imaizumi, K., Katayama, T. et al. Two cis-acting elements in the 3′ untranslated region of α-CaMKII regulate its dendritic targeting. Nat Neurosci 3, 1079–1084 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/80591

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