Genetic dissociation of ethanol sensitivity and memory formation in Drosophila melanogaster.
The ad hoc genetic correlation between ethanol sensitivity and learning mechanisms in Drosophila could overemphasize a common process supporting both behaviors. To challenge directly the hypothesis that these mechanisms are singular, we examined the learning phenotypes of 10 new strains. Five of these have increased ethanol sensitivity, and the other 5 do not. We tested place and olfactory memory in each of these lines and found two new learning mutations. In one case, altering the tribbles gene, flies have a significantly reduced place memory, elevated olfactory memory, and normal ethanol response. In the second case, mutation of a gene we name ethanol sensitive with low memory (elm), place memory was not altered, olfactory memory was sharply reduced, and sensitivity to ethanol was increased. In sum, however, we found no overall correlation between ethanol sensitivity and place memory in the 10 lines tested. Furthermore, there was a weak but nonsignificant correlation between ethanol sensitivity and olfactory learning. Thus, mutations that alter learning and sensitivity to ethanol can occur independently of each other and this implies that the set of genes important for both ethanol sensitivity and learning is likely a subset of the genes important for either process.
LaFerriere
Holly
H
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
Guarnieri
Douglas J
DJ
Sitaraman
Divya
D
Diegelmann
Soeren
S
Heberlein
Ulrike
U
Zars
Troy
T
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006257:Head; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000187:drug effects; D010641:Phenotype; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C410505:trbl protein, Drosophila; D000431:Ethanol; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases