title: Specific and differential activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades by unfamiliar taste in the insular cortex of the behaving rat.
abstract: Rats were given to drink an unfamiliar taste solution under conditions that result in long-term memory of that taste. The insular cortex, which contains the taste cortex, was then removed and assayed for activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades by using antibodies to the activated forms of various MAPKs. Extracellular responsive kinase 1-2 (ERK1-2) in the cortical homogenate was significantly activated within <30 min of drinking the taste solution, without alteration in the total level of the ERK1-2 proteins. The activity subsided to basal levels within <60 min. In contrast, ERK1-2 was not activated when the taste was made familiar. The effect of the unfamiliar taste was specific to the insular cortex. Jun N-terminal kinase 1-2 (JNK1-2) was activated by drinking the taste but with a delayed time course, whereas the activity of Akt kinase and p38MAPK remained unchanged. Elk-1, a member of the ternary complex factor and an ERK/JNK downstream substrate, was activated with a time course similar to that of ERK1-2. Microinjection of a reversible inhibitor of MAPK/ERK kinase into the insular cortex shortly before exposure to the novel taste in a conditioned taste aversion training paradigm attenuated long-term taste aversion memory without significantly affecting short-term memory or the sensory, motor, and motivational faculties required to express long-term taste aversion memory. It was concluded that ERK and JNK are specifically and differentially activated in the insular cortex after exposure to a novel taste, and that this activation is required for consolidation of long-term taste memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hazvi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seger
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dudai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D048056:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 9; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D011494:Protein Kinases; D048056:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 9; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases