Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Long-term memory requires the activity-dependent reorganization of synaptic proteome to modulate synaptic efficacy and consequently consolidate memory. Activity-regulated RNA translation can change the protein composition at the stimulated synapse. CPEB3 is a sequence-specific RNA-binding protein that represses translation of its target mRNAs in neurons, while activation of NMDA receptors alleviates this repression. Although recent research has revealed the mechanism of CPEB3-inhibited translation, how NMDA receptor signaling modulates the translational activity of CPEB3 remains unclear.