The Fine Art of Writing a Message: RNA Metabolism in the Shaping and Remodeling of the Nervous System

Neuronal morphogenesis, integration into circuits, and remodeling of synaptic connections occur in temporally and spatially defined steps. Accordingly, the expression of proteins and specific protein isoforms that contribute to these processes must be controlled quantitatively in time and space. A w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in molecular neuroscience 2021-11, Vol.14, p.755686-755686
Main Authors: Landínez-Macías, María, Urwyler, Olivier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenosine
Alternative splicing
Cytoplasm
Editing
Enzymes
Evolutionary conservation
Gene expression
Gene regulation
Isoforms
Localization
Metabolism
Molecular Neuroscience
Morphogenesis
Musashi
Musashi protein
Nervous system
Neural stem cells
neurological diseases
neuronal development
neuronal wiring
Neurons
Polyadenylation
Post-transcription
Protein synthesis
Proteins
RNA editing
RNA metabolism
RNA-binding protein
RNA-binding proteins
Synapses
Synaptogenesis
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Summary:Neuronal morphogenesis, integration into circuits, and remodeling of synaptic connections occur in temporally and spatially defined steps. Accordingly, the expression of proteins and specific protein isoforms that contribute to these processes must be controlled quantitatively in time and space. A wide variety of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, which act on pre-mRNA and mRNA molecules contribute to this control. They are thereby critically involved in physiological and pathophysiological nervous system development, function, and maintenance. Here, we review recent findings on how mRNA metabolism contributes to neuronal development, from neural stem cell maintenance to synapse specification, with a particular focus on axon growth, guidance, branching, and synapse formation. We emphasize the role of RNA-binding proteins, and highlight their emerging roles in the poorly understood molecular processes of RNA editing, alternative polyadenylation, and temporal control of splicing, while also discussing alternative splicing, RNA localization, and local translation. We illustrate with the example of the evolutionary conserved Musashi protein family how individual RNA-binding proteins are, on the one hand, acting in different processes of RNA metabolism, and, on the other hand, impacting multiple steps in neuronal development and circuit formation. Finally, we provide links to diseases that have been associated with the malfunction of RNA-binding proteins and disrupted post-transcriptional regulation.
ISSN:1662-5099
1662-5099
DOI:10.3389/fnmol.2021.755686