Spatial codes in dendritic BC1 RNA

BC1 RNA is a dendritic untranslated RNA that has been implicated in local translational control mechanisms in neurons. Prerequisite for a functional role of the RNA in synaptodendritic domains is its targeted delivery along the dendritic extent. We report here that the targeting-competent 5' BC1 domain carries two dendritic targeting codes. One code, specifying somatic export, is located in the medial-basal region of the 5' BC1 stem-loop structure. It is defined by an export-determinant stem-bulge motif. The second code, specifying long-range dendritic delivery, is located in the apical part of the 5' stem-loop domain. This element features a GA kink-turn (KT) motif that is indispensable for distal targeting. It specifically interacts with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2, a trans-acting targeting factor that has previously been implicated in the transport of MBP mRNA in oligodendrocytes and neurons. Our work suggests that a BC1 KT motif encodes distal targeting via the A2 pathway and that architectural RNA elements, such as KT motifs, may function as spatial codes in neural cells.