While post-transcriptional control is thought to be required at the periphery of neurons and glia, its extent is unclear. Here, we investigate systematically the spatial distribution and expression of mRNA at single molecule sensitivity and their corresponding proteins of 200 YFP trap protein trap lines across the intact Drosophila nervous system. 98% of the genes studied showed discordance between the distribution of mRNA and the proteins they encode in at least one region of the nervous system. These data suggest that post-transcriptional regulation is very common, helping to explain the complexity of the nervous system. We also discovered that 68.5% of these genes have transcripts present at the periphery of neurons, with 9.5% at the glial periphery. Peripheral transcripts include many potential new regulators of neurons, glia and their interactions. Our approach is applicable to most genes and tissues and includes powerful novel data annotation and visualisation tools for post-transcriptional regulation.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a common occurrence in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) that leads to significant limitations in mobility and increases risk of falls. Focused vibrotactile stimulation and cueing are two methods used to alleviate motor symptoms, including FOG, in patients with PD. While effective on their own, the effect of combining both focused vibrotactile stimulation and cueing has yet to be investigated. Two patients, both with a history of PD, suffered from frequent FOG episodes that failed to respond adequately to medication. A novel vibrotactile stimulation device that delivered rhythmic kinesthetic stimuli onto the sternum successfully reduced FOG episodes in both patients and drastically improved their mobility as measured by the Timed Up and Go test. We found that a combination of focused vibrotactile stimulation and cueing was effective in reducing FOG episodes in two patients with PD. Further well-designed prospective studies are needed to confirm our observations.

While post-transcriptional control is thought to be required at the periphery of neurons and glia, its extent is unclear. Here, we investigate systematically the spatial distribution and expression of mRNA at single molecule sensitivity and their corresponding proteins of 200 YFP trap lines across the intact Drosophila nervous system. 97.5% of the genes studied showed discordance between the distribution of mRNA and the proteins they encode in at least one region of the nervous system. These data suggest that post-transcriptional regulation is very common, helping to explain the complexity of the nervous system. We also discovered that 68.5% of these genes have transcripts present at the periphery of neurons, with 9.5% at the glial periphery. Peripheral transcripts include many potential new regulators of neurons, glia, and their interactions. Our approach is applicable to most genes and tissues and includes powerful novel data annotation and visualization tools for post-transcriptional regulation.

No abstract