Although advances in protein labeling methods have made it possible to measure the proteome of mixed cell populations, it has not been possible to isolate cell-type-specific proteomes in vivo. This is because the existing methods for metabolic protein labeling in vivo access all cell types. We report the development of a transgenic mouse line where Cre-recombinase-induced expression of a mutant methionyl-tRNA synthetase (L274G) enables the cell-type-specific labeling of nascent proteins with a non-canonical amino-acid and click chemistry. Using immunoblotting, imaging and mass spectrometry, we use our transgenic mouse to label and analyze proteins in excitatory principal neurons and Purkinje neurons in vitro (brain slices) and in vivo. We discover more than 200 proteins that are differentially regulated in hippocampal excitatory neurons by exposing mice to an environment with enriched sensory cues. Our approach can be used to isolate, analyze and quantitate cell-type-specific proteomes and their dynamics in healthy and diseased tissues.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by binding to target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and preventing their translation. In general, the number of potential mRNA targets in a cell is much greater than the miRNA copy number, complicating high-fidelity miRNA-target interactions. We developed an inducible fluorescent probe to explore whether the maturation of a miRNA could be regulated in space and time in neurons. A precursor miRNA (pre-miRNA) probe exhibited an activity-dependent increase in fluorescence, suggesting the stimulation of miRNA maturation. Single-synapse stimulation resulted in a local maturation of miRNA that was associated with a spatially restricted reduction in the protein synthesis of a target mRNA. Thus, the spatially and temporally regulated maturation of pre-miRNAs can be used to increase the precision and robustness of miRNA-mediated translational repression.

N-glycosylation – the sequential addition of complex sugars to adhesion proteins, neurotransmitter receptors, ion channels and secreted trophic factors as they progress through the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus – is one of the most frequent protein modifications. In mammals, most organ-specific N-glycosylation events occur in the brain. Yet, little is known about the nature, function and regulation of N-glycosylation in neurons. Using imaging, quantitative immunoblotting and mass spectrometry, we show that hundreds of neuronal surface membrane proteins are core-glycosylated, resulting in the neuronal membrane displaying surprisingly high levels of glycosylation profiles that are classically associated with immature intracellular proteins. We report that while N-glycosylation is generally required for dendritic development and glutamate receptor surface expression, core-glycosylated proteins are sufficient to sustain these processes, and are thus functional. This atypical glycosylation of surface neuronal proteins can be attributed to a bypass or a hypo-function of the Golgi apparatus. Core-glycosylation is regulated by synaptic activity, modulates synaptic signaling and accelerates the turnover of GluA2-containing glutamate receptors, revealing a novel mechanism that controls the composition and sensing properties of the neuronal membrane.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20609.001

Defeating peripheral neuropathy The mechanisms underlying peripheral neuropathies are not well understood. Spaulding et al . studied mouse models of the inherited Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, which is caused by mutations in transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases. Changes in gene expression and the rate of protein synthesis in neurons in the spinal cord triggered the cell stress response activated by the protein sensor GCN2. When GCN2 was genetically deleted or inhibited with drugs, the stress response was blocked, and the neuropathy was much milder. Zuko et al . found that mutant glycyl-tRNA synthetases bind tRNA Gly but fail to release it, thus depleting the cellular tRNA Gly pool. This process caused stalling of translating ribosomes on glycine codons and activated the integrated stress response. Transgenic tRNA Gly overexpression prevented peripheral neuropathy and protein synthesis defects in mouse and fruit fly models. Thus, elevating tRNA Gly levels or targeting GCN2 may have therapeutic potential for this currently untreatable disease (see the Perspective by Mellado and Willis). —SMH

Protein turnover, the net result of protein synthesis and degradation, enables cells to remodel their proteomes in response to internal and external cues. Previously, we analyzed protein turnover rates in cultured brain cells under basal neuronal activity and found that protein turnover is influenced by subcellular localization, protein function, complex association, cell type of origin, and by the cellular environment (Dörrbaum et al., 2018). Here, we advanced our experimental approach to quantify changes in protein synthesis and degradation, as well as the resulting changes in protein turnover or abundance in rat primary hippocampal cultures during homeostatic scaling. Our data demonstrate that a large fraction of the neuronal proteome shows changes in protein synthesis and/or degradation during homeostatic up- and down-scaling. More than half of the quantified synaptic proteins were regulated, including pre- as well as postsynaptic proteins with diverse molecular functions.