This laboratory is investigating intracellular trafficking of mRNA in cells of the nervous system using a combination of molecular biological, microinjection, confocal microscopy and three dimensional visualization techniques. We have delineated an RNA trafficking pathway consisting of export from the nucleus, granule assembly in the perikaryon, transport of RNA granules in the processes, localization to the distal regions of the cell and translational activation. We are analyzing the cis/trans regulation of each step in this pathway and have identified a common 21 nucleotide RNA trafficking signal (RTS) in many different transported mRNAs that binds specifically to hnRNPA2 and is involved at various steps in the trafficking pathway. The laboratory is also investigating expression and intracellular trafficking of the gap junction protein, connexin 32, in oligodendrocytes using green fluorescent protein fusions, time lapse confocal imaging, and three dimensional visualization. The laboratory is also involved in developing a comprehensive computational simulation of cellular physiology and behavior. This project, termed the Virtual Cell, consists of a multidisciplinary team of cell biologists, molecular biologists, mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, engineers and programmers. One goal of the project is to model the intracellular RNA trafficking pathway we have outlined.

Selected Publications

Levin MK, Carson JH (2004) Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and quantitative cell biology. Differentiation. 72:1-10.

Huang YS, Carson JH, Barbarese E, Richter JD. (2003) Facilitation of dendritic mRNA transport by CPEB. Genes Dev 17(5):638-53.

Shan, J, Munro, TP, Barbarese, E, Carson JH, Smith R. (2003) A molecular mechanism for mRNA trafficking in neuronal dendrites. J. Neurosci. 23: 8859-8866.

Song J, Carson JH, Barbarese E, Li FY, Duncan ID (2003)RNA transport in oligodendrocytes from the taiep mutant rat. Mol Cell Neurosci. 24:926-38.

Slepchenko, B., Schaff, J.C., Carson, J.H. and Loew, L.M. (2002) Computational Cell Biology: Spatiotemporal Simulation of Cellular Events. Ann. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 31: 423-442.

Brumwell, C., Antolik, C., Carson, J. H. and E. Barbarese (2002) Intracellular Trafficking of HnRNP A2 in Oligodendrocytes.Exp Cell Res. 279: 310-320.

Patents
RNA Transport/Translation Signal Carson, J.H., Kwon, S., Ainger, K and Avossa, D. (1996) Invention Disclosure No. 084-B286-96.
Method for Description, Simulation and Analysis of Cellular Structure and Function. Schaff, J.C., Carson J.H., and Loew, L. (1995) Invention No. 95-034