Leslie C. Griffith MD PhD

Neurons are among the most structurally and functionally specialized cells in the body, capable of processing, integrating, and transmitting information. Unlike many other cell types, neurons exhibit extreme morphological polarity, with distinct compartments—dendrites, soma, axon, and synaptic terminals—each requiring specifically tailored protein populations to support their localized functions. The recognition that cells are capable of locally synthesizing proteins marked a major shift in our thinking about cellular organization. Local translation enables neurons to establish functionally distinct subdomains and it allows rapid, site-specific responses to activity, supporting structural changes that are required for long-term plasticity. Localized protein synthesis and compartment-specific protein turnover allow neurons to dynamically respond to activity and environmental changes.

I will talk today about the first plasticity-related protein to be shown to be locally synthesized in neurons: Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Activity-dependent CaMKII synthesis is conserved across phyla and occurs in both pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Activity also has an additional effect on CaMKII that is equally conserved: it causes a subcellular redistribution of the protein. How the dynamic regulation of CaMKII levels and subcellular localization are related is not understood, and I will discuss recent results from my lab that address these questions. My talk will highlight how the unique biology of neurons depends on highly specialized protein landscapes—proving that in neuroscience, just like real estate, success ultimately comes down to location, location, location.

Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Neuroscience, Brandeis University