Presence of translation elongation factor-1A in the rat cerebellar postsynaptic density.

This study examined a 55 kDa protein in the rat cerebellar postsynaptic density (PSD) fraction. The amino acid sequence of an HPLC-purified peptide derived from tryptic digestion of the protein was contained in eukaryotic translation elongation factor-1A (eEF1A, formerly known as eEF-1alpha). Immunoblot analysis showed that eEF1A is enriched in the PSD fraction and is tightly associated with the PSD 'core'. The association of eEF1A with the PSD was further evidenced by colocalization of the protein with PSD95, a PSD marker, in dissociated cerebellar cultures and immunoelectron microscopy of the adult rat cerebellum. Combined, our results indicate that eEF1A is associated with the PSD.