Proper neuronal function and several forms of synaptic plasticity are highly dependent on precise control of mRNA translation, particularly in dendrites. We find that eIF4AIII, a core exon junction complex (EJC) component loaded onto mRNAs by pre-mRNA splicing, is associated with neuronal mRNA granules and dendritic mRNAs. eIF4AIII knockdown markedly increases both synaptic strength and GLUR1 AMPA receptor abundance at synapses. eIF4AIII depletion also increases ARC, a protein required for maintenance of long-term potentiation; arc mRNA, one of the most abundant in dendrites, is a natural target for nonsensemediated decay (NMD). Numerous new NMD candidates, some with potential to affect synaptic activity, were also identified computationally. Two models are presented for how translation-dependent decay pathways such as NMD might advantageously function as critical brakes for protein synthesis in cells such as neurons that are highly dependent on spatially and temporally restricted protein expression.

The abundance of RNPS1, a protein component of the exon junction complex, can determine the

Quantitative microarray profiling provides evidence against widespread coupling of alternative splicing with nonsense-mediated mRNA decay to control gene expression

usda.gov Genomic architecture appears to be a largely unexplored component of gene expression. That architecture can be related to chromatin domains, transposable element neighborhoods, epigenetic modifications of the genome, and more. Although surely not the end of the story, we are learning that when it comes to gene expression, size is also important. We have been surprised to find that certain patterns of expression, tissue specific versus constitutive, or high expression versus low expression, are often associated with physical attributes of the gene and genome. Multiple studies have shown an inverse relationship between gene expression patterns and various physical parameters of the genome such as intron size, exon size, intron number, and size of intergenic regions. An increase in expression level and breadth often correlates with a decrease in the size of physical attributes of the gene. Three models have been proposed to explain these relationships. Contradictory results were found in several organisms when expression level and expression breadth were analyzed independently. However, when both factors were combined in a single study a novel relationship was revealed. At low levels of expression, an increase in expression

A genome-wide survey demonstrates widespread non-linear mRNA in expressed sequences from multiple species

mRNA decay regulate mammalian ribosomal gene expression