Single-molecule insights into mRNA dynamics in neurons

•mRNA localization into neuronal processes and localized translation is an efficient mechanism of local protein delivery in neurons due to their long processes and synaptic function.•Single-mRNA studies in neurons illustrate the diverse and stochastic nature of mRNA trafficking into neuronal processes.•Single-molecule imaging of endogenous mRNA has illuminated a novel and unexpected understanding of mRNA dynamics.

Targeting of mRNAs to neuronal dendrites and axons plays an integral role in intracellular signaling, development, and synaptic plasticity. Single-molecule imaging of mRNAs in neurons and brain tissue has led to enhanced understanding of mRNA dynamics. Here we discuss aspects of mRNA regulation as revealed by single-molecule detection, which has led to quantitative analyses of mRNA diversity, localization, transport, and translation. These exciting new discoveries propel our understanding of the life of an mRNA in a neuron and how its activity is regulated at the single-molecule level.