Protein kinase A inhibits a consolidated form of memory in Drosophila.
Increasing activity of the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway has often been proposed as an approach to improve memory in various organisms. However, here we demonstrate that single-point mutations, which decrease PKA activity, dramatically improve aversive olfactory memory in Drosophila. These mutations do not affect formation of early memory phases or of protein synthesis-dependent long-term memory but do cause a significant increase in a specific consolidated form of memory, anesthesia-resistant memory. Significantly, heterozygotes of null mutations in PKA are sufficient to cause this memory increase. Expressing a PKA transgene in the mushroom bodies, brain structures critical for memory formation in Drosophila, reduces memory back to wild-type levels. These results indicate that although PKA is critical for formation of several memory phases, it also functions to inhibit at least one memory phase.
Horiuchi
Junjiro
J
Laboratory of Cellular Genetics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan. horiuchi@tmu.ac.jp
Yamazaki
Daisuke
D
Naganos
Shintaro
S
Aigaki
Toshiro
T
Saitoe
Minoru
M
D000818:Animals; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D015870:Gene Expression; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D024521:Mushroom Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D009154:Mutation; D019076:Transgenes / Q000502:physiology
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases