Function of the Drosophila CPEB protein Orb2 in long-term courtship memory.
Both long-term behavioral memory and synaptic plasticity require protein synthesis, some of which may occur locally at specific synapses. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding (CPEB) proteins are thought to contribute to the local protein synthesis that underlies long-term changes in synaptic efficacy, but a role has not been established for them in the formation of long-term behavioral memory. We found that the Drosophila melanogaster CPEB protein Orb2 is acutely required for long-term conditioning of male courtship behavior. Deletion of the N-terminal glutamine-rich region of Orb2 resulted in flies that were impaired in their ability to form long-term, but not short-term, memory. Memory was restored by expressing Orb2 selectively in fruitless (fru)-positive gamma neurons of the mushroom bodies and by providing Orb2 function in mushroom bodies only during and shortly after training. Our data thus demonstrate that a CPEB protein is important in long-term memory and map the molecular, spatial and temporal requirements for its function in memory formation.
Keleman
Krystyna
K
Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Dr. Bohr-gasse 7, A-1030 Vienna, Austria. keleman@imp.ac.at
Krüttner
Sebastian
S
Alenius
Mattias
M
Dickson
Barry J
BJ
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D003380:Courtship; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D024521:Mushroom Bodies / Q000166:cytology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C089932:orb protein, Drosophila; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins