Author:

Keywords:

mental-retardation protein, actin messenger-rna, metabotropic glutamate receptors, cultured hippocampal-neurons, ran-binding protein, fmr1 knockout mice, dendritic spines, ribonucleoprotein complexes, pur-alpha, kh domain, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Neurosciences, Neurosciences & Neurology, MENTAL-RETARDATION PROTEIN, ACTIN MESSENGER-RNA, METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS, CULTURED HIPPOCAMPAL-NEURONS, RAN-BINDING PROTEIN, FMR1 KNOCKOUT MICE, DENDRITIC SPINES, RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN COMPLEXES, PUR-ALPHA, KH DOMAIN, Animals, Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein, Fragile X Syndrome, Humans, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Protein Transport, RNA-Binding Proteins, Ribonucleoproteins, Spinal Cord, 1109 Neurosciences, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, Neurology & Neurosurgery, 3209 Neurosciences, 5202 Biological psychology

Abstract:

The mental retardation protein FMRP is involved in the transport of mRNAs and their translation at synapses. Patients with fragile X syndrome, in whom FMRP is absent or mutated, show deficits in learning and memory that might reflect impairments in the translational regulation of a subset of neuronal mRNAs. The study of FMRP provides important insights into the regulation and functions of local protein synthesis in the neuronal periphery, and increases our understanding of how these functions can produce specific effects at individual synapses.