title: Tap withdrawal circuit interneurons require CREB for long-term habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: We investigated the role of the Caenorhabditis elegans CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) homologue, crh-1, in response to tap (nonlocalized mechanosensory stimulation) and tap habituation. Worms with a loss-of-function mutation in crh-1 performed smaller reversals in response to tap than did wild-type worms and did not show long-term memory for spaced training 24-hr posttraining; however, they did show short-term habituation to tap stimuli when stimuli were presented at both 10-s and 60-s interstimulus intervals, and showed 12-hr intermediate memory for spaced habituation training (intermediate-term memory). Expressing CRH-1 broadly throughout the nervous system and in a subset of interneurons of the tap withdrawal circuit, but not in the mechanosensory neurons, rescued the long-term memory defects observed in crh-1 mutants. Here we show for the first time that CREB is required for long-term habituation and show that the interneurons of the tap withdrawal response circuit are the locus of plasticity for long-term mechanosensory habituation in C. elegans.
authors.affiliation: Brain Research Centre and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Tiffany A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Timbers
authors.forename: Catharine H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Rankin
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000235:genetics*; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C556191:CRH-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors