Presence of translation elongation factor-1A (eEF1A) in the excitatory postsynaptic density of rat cerebral cortex

The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a proteinaceous cellular structure that is specialized for postsynaptic signal transduction. Here, we show that eukaryotic translation factor-1A (eEF1A; formerly known as eEF-1α) is associated with the excitatory PSD in rat forebrain. Immunoblot analysis showed that eEF1A in the PSD fraction is enriched over homogenate. Salt (1.0 M NaCl), but not non-ionic detergents such as Triton X-100 (1.0%) and n-octyl glucoside (1.0%), could dissociate eEF1A from the PSD core. In cultured cortical neurons, eEF1A was colocalized with postsynaptic markers (PSD95 and SynGAPα), but not with a presynaptic marker (synaptophysin). These results indicate that eEF1A is present in the PSD of the excitatory synapses.