mRNA can be moved, or trafficked, throughout the cell. As a consequence, mRNA can be localized to certain areas of the cell, such as to the dendritic terminals in the above photo. This is thought to be done in conjunction with proteins binding to mRNA, forming cargo, molecular motors, and the cytoskeleton as tracks. The main function of this is thought to be for the allowance local translation of proteins via ribosomes. The main cytoskeletal filament that serves as a track is the microtubules, which are destabilized in the well-known Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, it is thought that the abnormality in mRNA trafficking generated by the destabilization of microtubule tracks plays a role in the neurofibrillary tangles that form during the disease. With this in mind, It is I, as well as the rest of Dr. Kevin Czaplinkski's lab, interest to determine the mechanisms by which mRNA trafficking occurs, i.e. the binding proteins involved, the cytoskeletal tracks, the motors, and how their interplay resulting in mRNA localization. Below you will find a video taken by me!