title: The staufen/pumilio pathway is involved in Drosophila long-term memory.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Memory formation after olfactory learning in Drosophila displays behavioral and molecular properties similar to those of other species. Particularly, long-term memory requires CREB-dependent transcription, suggesting the regulation of "downstream" genes. At the cellular level, long-lasting synaptic plasticity in many species also appears to depend on CREB-mediated gene transcription and subsequent structural and functional modification of relevant synapses. To date, little is known about the molecular-genetic mechanisms that contribute to this process during memory formation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We used two complementary strategies to identify these genes. From DNA microarrays, we identified 42 candidate memory genes that appear to be transcriptionally regulated in normal flies during memory formation. Via mutagenesis, we have independently identified 60 mutants with defective long-term memory and have defined molecular lesions for 58 of these. The pumilio translational repressor was found from both approaches, along with six additional genes with established roles in local control of mRNA translation. In vivo disruptions of four genes--staufen, pumilio, oskar, and eIF-5C--yield defective memory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Convergent findings from our behavioral screen for memory mutants and DNA microarray analysis of transcriptional responses during memory formation in normal animals suggest the involvement of the pumilio/staufen pathway in memory. Behavioral experiments confirm a role for this pathway and suggest a molecular mechanism for synapse-specific modification.
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA. dubnau@cshl.edu
authors.forename: Josh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dubnau
authors.forename: Ann-Shyn
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grady
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barditch
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gossweiler
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buldoc
authors.forename: Rod
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Uli
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Certa
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broger
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tully
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C074333:pum protein, Drosophila; C069927:stau protein, Drosophila