eIF4E phosphorylation recruits β-catenin to mRNA cap and selectively promotes Wnt pathway translation in dentate gyrus LTP maintenance in vivo

The mRNA cap-binding protein, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), is crucial for translation and regulated by Ser209 phosphorylation. However, the biochemical and physiological role of eIF4E phosphorylation in translational control of long-term synaptic plasticity is unknown. We demonstrate that phospho-ablated Eif4eS209A knockin mice are profoundly impaired in dentate gyrus LTP maintenance in vivo, while basal perforant path-evoked transmission and LTP induction are intact. mRNA cap-pulldown assays show that phosphorylation is required for synaptic activity-induced removal of translational repressors from eIF4E, allowing initiation complex formation. Using ribosome profiling, we identified selective, phospho-eIF4E-dependent translation of the Wnt signaling pathway in in vivo LTP. Surprisingly, the canonical Wnt effector, β-catenin, was massively recruited to the eIF4E cap complex following LTP induction in wild-type, but not Eif4eS209A, mice. These results demonstrate a critical role for activity-evoked eIF4E phosphorylation in dentate gyrus LTP maintenance, bidirectional remodeling of the mRNA cap-binding complex, and mRNA-specific translational control linked to Wnt pathway. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.