Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Role Of Ribosomal Biogenesis In Axonal Morphogenesis., Nicholas Mcchesney Lynch

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Elongating axons require a host of macromolecules for outgrowth. The importance of lipid, protein, and general RNA synthesis for initial axonal growth has been previously investigated, but the role of rRNA synthesis and ribosome production in axonal morphogenesis remains unclear. Therefore, rat hippocampal neurons were cultured and transfected with shRNA against either TIF-IA (the activator of RNA polymerase I) or RPS6 (a small ribosomal subunit component) to determine the effects of impaired de novo ribosome synthesis on axonal development during the first three days after plating. Our data show that shRPS6 weakly inhibited total axon length, but not longest axon …