Genes to remember

Abstract

It has been known for several decades that the formation of long-term memory requires gene expression. In recent years, the use of genetic and molecular approaches has led to the identification and characterization of genes and molecules that play a fundamental role in the biological mechanisms underlying learning and memory. From these studies, it appears that molecules and molecular mechanisms essential for the process of memory have been conserved throughout evolution. The cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent activation pathway and a cAMP-dependent cascade of gene expression have been shown to be essential for memory formation in Aplysia californica, Drosophila melanogaster and rodents. Moreover, members of the transcription factor family cAMP response element binding proteins (CREBs) seem to represent key molecules for transforming incoming information into long-term memory. Here, we review the studies showing that conserved molecules and biological mechanisms are engaged in simple and complex forms of memory.

Synapse- and Stimulus-Specific Local Translation During Long-Term Neuronal Plasticity

“…Kévin Belkacem, 1,2 * Réza Samadi, 1 Marie-Jo Goupil, 1 Laure Lefèvre, 1 Fréderic Baudin, 3 Sébastien Deheuvels, 1 Marc-Antoine Dupret, 1,2 Thierry Appourchaux, 3 Richard Scuflaire, 2 Michel Auvergne, 1 Claude Catala, 1 Eric Michel, 1 Andrea Miglio, 2 Josefina Montalban, 2 Anne Thoul, 2 Suzanne Talon, 4 Annie Baglin, 1 Arlette Noels 2…”

“…Here, we report on the detection of solar-like oscillations (high-frequency acoustic modes that are damped but excited by turbulent convection and probe superficial convective regions) in a 10-solar mass star, V1449 Aql, already known to be a b Cephei (it oscillates on unstable lowfrequency modes of high amplitude, also referred to as opacity-driven modes, which probe the deepest regions of stars) (1).…”

“…L ong-lasting learning-related synaptic plasticity requires transcription for its persistence (1)(2)(3)) and yet can occur in a synapse-specific manner (4-7). One mechanism that has been proposed to mediate this spatial restriction of gene expression during neuronal plasticity involves regulated translation of localized mRNAs at stimulated synapses (8)(9)(10).…”

The Ontogenesis of Human Identity

“…Therefore they can be studied on genetic bases (cf. Alberini, 1999;Mayford and Kandel, 1999;Laroche, 2000). Indeed, both explicit and implicit memories are long-term memories, that is, memories whose acquisition, retention and retrieval mechanisms are due to changes in the number and in the organization of the synaptic connections by means of the activation of certain genes, and therefore by means of the encoded proteins.…”

The need for unbiased genetic screens to dissect aggression in Drosophila melanogaster

“…In another screen, they isolated the first learning and memory mutant, dunce 1 ( dnc 1 ) (Dudai et al, 1976 ). The dunce gene was later cloned and shown to encode cAMP phophodiesterase (Chen et al, 1986 ), further providing evidence to a growing body of knowledge that cAMP signaling plays an important role in memory formation across species (Alberini, 1999 ). Perhaps the most famous mutants isolated in those early days were the first circadian mutants (Konopka and Benzer, 1971 ).…”