RNA Changes in Goldfish Brain during Learning

Ve, Shashoua

doi:10.1038/217238a0

Cited by 92 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Data suggesting that changes in the level or composition of neuronal RNA may follow acquisition of various behavioral tasks have been reported in several studies dating back to the early 1970s (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). These reports demonstrated various generalized RNA changes-e.g., increases in the uridine/ cytidine ratio in total goldfish brain RNA (1-3), increases in [3H]uridine labeling in rRNA from mouse brain (4), or changes in RNA base composition following rat handedness training (5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Specific high molecular weight mRNAs induced by associative learning in Hermissenda.

Nelson¹,

Alkon²

1990

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Associative conditioning ofHermissenda crassicornis has been demonstrated to result in long-term changes in the potassium currents IA and ICa2+_K+ in photoreceptor neurons in the eye and to increase mRNA levels in the eye 2-to 3-fold. mRNA isolated from Hermissenda trained with paired light and rotation stimuli was labeled with [3H]acetic anhydride, while mRNA from naive animals or from animals subjected to random light and rotation stimuli was labeled with ['4C]acetic anhydride. The labeled RNA was combined and separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. The overall size distribution of labeled mRNA was shifted to longer chain lengths in the paired group. In addition, the 3H/'4C ratios were markedly increased for 21 distinct size bands, indicating increased mRNA of specific chain lengths in the paired group. Increases in the same size bands were also observed with mRNA labeled in vivo with 32P;. This indicates that associative learning in Hermissenda results in a specific induction of a distinct set of at least 21 mRNAs, rather than in a generalized increase in synthesis of all mRNA, thus resembling in some respects a differentiation-like response.crassicornis following associative conditioning (16). Since the type B photoreceptor neurons of the eye of Hermissenda are a major putative site of storage of the learned association (16), the finding of increased mRNA closely correlated with memory acquisition implies a causal role for mRNA in learning. However, in this previous experiment we did not determine whether the increase was specific for a few RNA species, thus resembling stress-induced transcription as in the heat shock reaction, or whether all mRNAs were increased, in which case the changes could result from increased ribosome activity, increased polyadenylylation, etc. This information is crucial for understanding the nuclear or genetic changes that underlie the memory.Here we report that associative conditioning results in a marked shift in the size-distribution of mRNA toward larger chain length and that this shift is strongly correlated with memory retention. Superimposed on this change are learning-specific increases in mRNAs of several specific chain lengths.

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mentioning

confidence: 91%

Specific high molecular weight mRNAs induced by associative learning in Hermissenda.

Nelson¹,

Alkon²

1990

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…In this way the specialized information recording function of nervous tissue can utilize processes and substrates which may be common to all cells, but maximally developed in brain. Thus, the search for biochemical correlates of the process of information storage becomes one of two types, (1) a search for the neural response to new information Barondes 1967;Flexner 1970;Hyden 1962;Glassman 1969 andShashoua 1968), and (2) the search for trigger substances which can activate the metabolism of specific classes of neural circuits (Shashoua, 1971 …”

Section: En Environment; E-t Electrical-time; E-s Electrical-spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Letters to the Editor

1972

International Journal of Neuroscience

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“…Some of these experiments have been able to demonstrate learning-induced changes-e.g., a 90%o increase in the ratio of uridine to cytosine in RNA (8) or a 20-70% increase in uptake of radioactive uridine into RNA (9). However, the specificity of such changes for the learning process has been difficult to establish for several reasons.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prolonged RNA changes in the Hermissenda eye induced by classical conditioning.

Nelson

Alkon²

1988

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The incorporation of 32p into mRNA and the total amount of mRNA were increased 3-to 4-fold in eyes isolated from Hermissenda crassicornis trained to associate light with rotation on a turntable compared with animals trained with equal numbers of light and rotation events presented randomly and with naive animals. Incorporation of 32p into poly(A)-RNA was reduced by as much as 60%. The RNA changes were strongly correlated with the degree of learning and could not be accounted for by changes in [32PJATP content. The RNA changes were maximal at 24 hr and were still detectable after 4 days, indicating that associative conditioning produces a period of increased DNA transcription that could be an intermediate step in memory consolidation. The RNA changes may in part account for recently observed conditioning-specific changes in the synthesis rates of specific proteins.

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RNA Changes in Goldfish Brain during Learning

Cited by 92 publications

References 16 publications

Specific high molecular weight mRNAs induced by associative learning in Hermissenda.

Specific high molecular weight mRNAs induced by associative learning in Hermissenda.

Letters to the Editor

Prolonged RNA changes in the Hermissenda eye induced by classical conditioning.

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