The effect of synaptic stimulation on RNA and protein metabolism in the R2 soma ofAplysia

✍ Scribed by Wilson, David L. ;Berry, Robert W.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1972
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 670 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3034
• DOI: 10.1002/neu.480030409

✦ Synopsis

Excitatory synaptic stimulation of the R2 neuron in the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia californica causes an increased incorporation of 3Huridine into RNA. However, this could be the result of a change in precursor specific activity rather than an increase in RNA synthesis. We find that at low external uridine concentrations (1.5 pM) there is no increase in 3H-uridine incorporation correlated with synaptic stimulation. In addition, no change in incorporation of 3H-leucine into total protein or in the pattern of newly-synthesized proteins, resolved by electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide gels, was detected with stimulation. Since the R2 neuron can be stimulated without a detectable change in RNA or protein synthesis, we conclude that the increase in incorporation observed at high external uridine concentrations (100 pM) could be caused by increased specific activity in a precursor pool rather than by an RNA synthesis change.