CaM I mRNA is localized to apical dendrites during postnatal development of neurons in the rat brain

• Published in: Journal of neuroscience research Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 565 - 575
• Main Authors: Berry, F.B., Brown, I.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-03-1996
• Subjects: Aging - physiology; Animals; Animals, Newborn - growth & development; Animals, Newborn - metabolism; Brain - cytology; Brain - metabolism; Calmodulin - genetics; calmodulin mRNA; Cellular Senescence; Dendrites - metabolism; Hippocampus - cytology; Hippocampus - metabolism; in situ hybridization; neuronal development; Neurons - metabolism; Neurons - physiology; Purkinje Cells - metabolism; Purkinje Cells - physiology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Tissue Distribution
• ISSN: 0360-4012; 1097-4547
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4547(19960301)43:5<565::AID-JNR6>3.0.CO;2-G

In the rat, a single calmodulin (CaM) protein is encoded by three separate genes which produce five different transcripts. The significance of the multiple CaM genes is not known; however, individual CaM transcripts could be targeted to specific intracellular sites. In this report, the cellular distribution of CaM I mRNAs was analyzed in the postnatal rat brain. The 4.0‐kb CaM I transcript was present in neuronal cell bodies and also localized to apical dendritic processes. In cerebral cortical neurons, the 4.0‐kb CaM I mRNA was detected in apical dendrites at postnatal day (PD) 5 to 15. In hippocampal neurons, this CaM message was present in dendritic processes from PD 5 to 20, whereas in Purkinje neurons it was detected in dendrites at PD 15 and 20. The presence of the 4.0‐kb CaM I mRNA in dendrites of the rat brain supports the notion of targeting transcripts derived from the CaM multigene family to discrete intracellular destinations. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.