Local synthesis, atypical N-glycosylation and turnover of neuronal surface proteins

Local protein synthesis is a particularly efficient means to locally control the molecular composition of targeted cellular compartments. New data indicate that local protein synthesis in neuronal dendrites may enable neurons to control the glycosylation status and hence the stability and function of key surface proteins.

Neuronal development and synaptic transmission require the continuous production of secreted trophic factors and transmembrane proteins, for example neurotransmitter receptors, adhesion molecules and ion-channels, and thus heavily rely on the secretory machinery: the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus, where these proteins are synthesized and, in most cases, chemically modified by addition of complex sugars during N-glycosylation.

Further details: Local synthesis, atypical N-glycosylation and turnover of neuronal surface proteins