title: The Drosophila DmGluRA is required for social interaction and memory.
abstract: Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) have well-established roles in cognition and social behavior in mammals. Whether or not these roles have been conserved throughout evolution from invertebrate species is less clear. Mammals have eight mGluRs whereas Drosophila has a single DmGluRA, which has both Gi and Gq coupled signaling activity. We have utilized Drosophila to examine the role of DmGluRA in social behavior and various phases of memory. We have found that flies that are homozygous or heterozygous for loss of function mutations of DmGluRA have impaired social behavior in male Drosophila. Futhermore, flies that are heterozygous for loss of function mutations of DmGluRA have impaired learning during training, immediate-recall memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory as young adults. This work demonstrates a role for mGluR activity in both social behavior and memory in Drosophila.
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Cardiology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, NY, USA ; Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Catherine H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Terlizzi
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hinchey
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kollaros
authors.forename: Neal J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Ferrick
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koenigsberg
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferreiro
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Leibelt
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Aaron J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Thomas V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Jongens
authors.forename: Sean M J
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McBride
keywords: DmGluRA; Drosophila; learning; long-term memory; mGluR; memory