Molecular and neural bases of memory dynamism in Drosophila

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Principles of memory dynamism elucidated from a diversity of learning systems
• Project/Area Number: 25115006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: SAITOE Minoru 公益財団法人東京都医学総合研究所, 認知症・高次脳機能研究分野, 基盤技術研究センター長 (50261839)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 粂 和彦 名古屋市立大学, 大学院薬学研究科, 教授 (30251218) ; 上野 太郎 東邦大学, 理学部, 講師 (30648267) ; 坂井 貴臣 首都大学東京, 理工学研究科, 准教授 (50322730) ; 佐藤 守俊 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 准教授 (00323501)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-06-28 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 記憶 / ショウジョウバエ / ドーパミン / 老化 / グリア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Taking advantages of Drosophila, we discovered how dopaminergic neurons reinforce association of sensory information to produce associative memory and identified novel mode of dopamine release induced by activity of postsynaptic neurons. Regarding consolidation of labile short-term memory to stable long-term memory, we found that c-fos/CREB transcriptional cycling formed by MAPK, which is activated during resting intervals of spaced training, encodes long-term memory in memory engram neurons, and identified a novel neuron-glia interaction by which glial cells express genes required for long-term memory formation. We also identified novel transcriptional machineries required for maintenance of long-term memory. Regarding alternation of memory mechanism upon aging, we found that age-related increase in activity of pyruvate carboxylase attenuates production D-serine in glial cells thereby impairs middle-term memory in aged flies.

Free Research Field

神経科学