title: Identification of the AFD neuron as the site of action of the CREB protein in Caenorhabditis elegans thermotaxis.
abstract: Behaviour is a consequence of computation in neural circuits composed of massive synaptic connections among sensory neurons and interneurons. The cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) responsible for learning and memory is expressed in almost all neurons. Nevertheless, we find that the Caenorhabditis elegans CREB orthologue, CRH-1, is only required in the single bilateral thermosensory neuron AFD, for a memory-related behaviour. Restoration of CRH-1 in AFD of CREB-depleted crh-1 mutants rescues its thermotactic defect, whereas restorations in other neurons do not. In calcium-imaging analyses, the AFD neurons of CREB-depleted crh-1 mutants exhibit an abnormal response to temperature increase. We present a new platform for analysing the mechanism of behavioural memory at single-cellular resolution within the neural circuit.
authors: Group of Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
authors: Yukuo
authors: Y
authors: Nishida
authors: Takuma
authors: T
authors: Sugi
authors: Mayu
authors: M
authors: Nonomura
authors: Ikue
authors: I
authors: Mori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C556191:CRH-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D002118:Calcium