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The Journal of Neuroscience, 2000, 20:RC74:1-5
RAPID COMMUNICATION
Identification of a 24 kDa Phosphoprotein Associated with an
Intermediate Stage of Memory in Hermissenda
Terry
Crow and
Juan-Juan
Xue-Bian
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical
School, Houston, Texas 77030
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ABSTRACT |
A requirement for protein synthesis is a critical feature in
dissociating different phases of memory. However, in examples of
cellular and synaptic plasticity in which an early or intermediate requirement for protein synthesis has been implicated, specific proteins have not been identified. Here we report the identification of
a 24 kDa phosphoprotein (CSP24) associated with an intermediate stage
of memory, distinct from short-term memory, detected after one-trial
conditioning of Hermissenda. CSP24, initially identified from 32PO4-labeled proteins resolved by two
dimensional (2-D) PAGE, was excised from multiple Coomassie
blue-stained 2-D gels and subjected to reverse phase HPLC
and automated sequence analysis. The sequenced peptides exhibited a
homology to the -thymosin family of actin-binding protein.
Anti-CSP24 antibody recognized CSP24 on 1- and 2-D gels by Western blot
analysis. Labeled CSP24 immunoprecipitated with anti-CSP24 antibody
revealed that significantly more 32PO4 was
incorporated in preparations that received one-trial conditioning compared with unpaired controls. In contrast, labeled CSP24
immunoprecipitated with anti-CSP24 from conditioned and unpaired
control preparations receiving a procedure that only produced
short-term enhanced excitability did not exhibit differences in
32PO4 incorporation into the
immunoprecipitates. These results show that a specific identified
phosphoprotein is associated with an intermediate stage of memory for
one-trial conditioning in Hermissenda.
Key words:
intermediate memory; phosphoprotein; one-trial
conditioning; immunoprecipitation; associative learning; Hermissenda
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INTRODUCTION |
Studies
of the time-dependent development of memory have identified components
of memory consolidation that can be differentiated based on the
contribution of signal transduction pathways, protein synthesis, and
gene induction (Otani et al., 1989 ; Ng and Gibbs, 1991 ; Rosenzweig et
al., 1993 ; Nguyen et al., 1994 ; DeZazzo and Tully, 1995 ; Kang and
Schuman, 1996 ; Kane et al., 1997 ; McGaugh, 2000 ). In two different
examples of plasticity, 5-HT-induced synaptic facilitation and enhanced
excitability produced by one-trial conditioning, an intermediate stage
has been shown to depend on translation but not transcription (Ghirardi
et al., 1995 ; Crow et al., 1999 ). One-trial conditioning in
Hermissenda results in the biphasic development of enhanced
cellular excitability detected in identified sensory neurons of the
conditioned stimulus (CS) pathway (Crow and Siddiqi, 1997 ) and an
increase in the phosphorylation of several proteins observed 1-2 hr
after conditioning (Crow et al., 1996 ). One phosphoprotein, a 24 kDa
protein (CSP24), exhibited an increase in
32PO4 incorporation
during an intermediate phase of memory that depended on protein
synthesis (Crow et al., 1999 ). This finding was supported by studies
showing that anisomycin, but not the mRNA synthesis inhibitor
5,6-dichloro-1- -D-ribobenzimidazole, specifically blocked the increased phosphorylation of CSP24 and the
accompanying enhanced excitability normally expressed during the
intermediate phase of memory (Crow et al., 1999 ). In this study, we
provide evidence identifying CSP24 as a homolog of -thymosin. We
also show that
32PO4-labeled CSP24
immunoprecipitated with anti-CSP24 antibody exhibited significantly
greater phosphorylation after one-trial in vitro
conditioning compared with unpaired controls. In addition, we report
that increased phosphorylation of CSP24 relative to unpaired controls
did not occur after procedures that produced only short-term enhancement.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Experimental procedures. Three types of preparations
were used; an exposed, but otherwise intact nervous system (one-trial conditioning), an isolated circumesophageal nervous system for electrophysiological measurements of excitability at different times
after conditioning, and isolated components of the CS pathway consisting of the eye and proximal optic nerve (in vitro
procedure). Adult Hermissenda crassicornis were maintained
in artificial seawater (ASW) aquaria at 14 ± 1°C on a 12 hr
light/dark cycle. Before conditioning, animals were anesthetized with a
0.25 ml injection of isotonic MgCl2, and a small
dorsolateral incision was made to expose the circumesophageal nervous
system. Surgically prepared animals were transferred to a chamber
containing 50 ml of normal ASW. The one-trial conditioning procedure
consisted of a 5 min presentation of light, the CS
(10 4 W/cm2)
paired with the application of serotonin (5-HT) to the region of the
cerebropleural ganglion, where previous immunocytochemistry revealed
5-HT-reactive processes near the optic nerve and photoreceptor terminals in the neuropil. The final concentration of 5-HT in the ASW
was 5 × 10 6
M. The in vitro procedure consisted of
pairing light with 5 × 10 6 or
10 4 M 5-HT applied
to the isolated components of the CS pathway. Unpaired control groups
received the CS and 5-HT (5 × 10 6
or 10 4 M)
separated by 5 min. For the unpaired control group, the 5-HT was
applied in the dark (infrared illumination) and washed out after
the 5 min exposure. After the conditioning trial, animals were
maintained in the ASW aquaria for the different times before assessing
excitability in the isolated nervous system.
Electrophysiology. Intracellular recordings were collected
from identified lateral type B photoreceptors at times between 15 and
75 min after conditioning and at 3 and 24 hr after conditioning. Animals were prepared for intracellular recording and stimulation with
extrinsic current using previously published standard procedures (Crow
and Forrester, 1990 ; Crow and Forrester, 1993 ; Crow et al., 1997 ,
1999 ). Experiments with the isolated circumesophageal nervous system
were conducted in ASW maintained at 15 ± 0.5°C and having the
following composition (in mM): 460 NaCl, 10 KCl, 10 CaCl2, and 55 MgCl2,
buffered with 10 mM HEPES and brought to pH 7.6 with NaOH.
Excitability was assessed with 2 sec 5 and 10 mV depolarizing pulses
from a holding potential of 60 to 63 mV. Averages were determined
by dividing the total number of action potentials by the duration of
the extrinsic current pulses.
Protein phosphorylation and two-dimensional gel
electrophoresis. Protein phosphorylation after one-trial
conditioning was examined in the components of the CS pathway of
in vitro preparations incubation for 2 hr in 200 µl of
oxygenated ASW containing 11 mM glucose and 0.125 mCi of 32PO4
(carrier-free; New England Nuclear, Boston, MA). After the 2 hr
incubation the samples were rinsed in an isotonic ice-cold wash
solution (in mM: 460 NaCl, 10 KCl, 5 EDTA, and
100 Tris-HCl, pH 7.8) and lysed in a modified lysis solution containing
9.2 M urea, 2% Nonidet P-40, 5%
-mercaptoethanol, 2% carrier ampholytes, 1.6% pH 5-8 and 0.4% pH
3.5-10, 100 mM NaF, 1 mM
sodium orthovanadate, and 0.1 mM okadiac acid and
stored frozen at 80°C. Samples were analyzed by two-dimensional
(2D) gel electrophoresis using a first-dimension isoelectric focusing
gel with an immobilized pH gradient (4-7) and a precast SDS
polyacrylamide (8-18% linear gradient) second-dimension gel. Western
blot analysis of 1- and 2-D gels involved lysates resolved in SDS gels
and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. Gels
containing
32PO4-labeled
proteins were exposed to storage phosphor screens for 24 hr. Phosphor
screens were computer-scanned and analyzed using ImageQuant software
(Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA) for quantitative analysis.
Peptide sequencing. Coomassie blue-stained protein
from whole nervous systems corresponding to CSP24 was excised from
multiple 2-D gels. The in-gel digestion protocol was similar to a
previously published procedure (Rosenfeld et al., 1992 ). Samples were
subjected to HPLC and automated sequence analysis on
Biobrene-treated glass fiber filters using an Applied Biosystems
(Foster City, CA) 477A sequencer. Protein databases were searched using
the FASTA program (Pearson and Lipman, 1988 ), through the National
Center for Biotechnology Information Network.
Immunoprecipitation. For immunoprecipitation studies, cells
incubated in 32PO4
were rinsed with PBS and lysed in ice-cold lysis buffer
[radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) buffer-PBS, 1% NP-40, 0.5%
deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS, 0.1 mg/ml
4-(2-aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonylfluoride (Calbiochem, La Jolla, CA),
0.6 U/ml aprotinin, and 1 mM sodium orthovanadate]. All
steps were conducted at 4°C. Lysates were centrifuged for 20 min, and
supernatants were incubated with rabbit polyclonal anti-CSP24 for 1 hr.
Protein A/G-agarose (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) was then
added for overnight incubation with rotation. Immunoprecipitates were
collected by centrifugation for 10 min in a microfuge, and the agarose
pellets were carefully resuspended and washed in the RIPA buffer four
times. The washed pellets were then rinsed two additional times with
the sample buffer described above. After the final wash, 40 µl of SDS
sample buffer (0.5 M Tris, 23% SDS, 10% glycerol,
and 5% mercaptoethanol) was added to the agarose pellet and boiled
for 3 min. After boiling and centrifugation, samples were loaded for
1-D PAGE followed by phosphorimage analysis of
32PO4-labeled proteins.
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RESULTS |
To identify CSP24 we excised the protein from multiple Coomassie
blue-stained 2-D gels and obtained a partial amino acid sequence. Samples were treated to in-gel digestion (Rosenfeld et al., 1992 ), and
eluted products were subjected to reverse-phase HPLC and automated sequence analysis. As shown in Figure 1,
A and B,
32PO4-labeled CSP24
co-migrated with CSP24 identified from the Coomassie blue-stained 2-D
gel. The sequencing of CSP24 samples yielded several peptides that
expressed varying degrees of sequence identity to the -thymosin
family of actin-binding protein (Nachmias, 1993 ; Carpintero et al.,
1995 ; Safer and Chowrashi, 1997 ; Stoeva et al., 1997 ). Figure
1C shows a comparison of amino acid sequences of peptides
derived from Hermissenda protein CSP24 with members or
homologs of the -thymosin family. We selected one peptide to use as
an antigen in the development of an antibody to CSP24. As indicated in
the Western blots of Figure 2, lysates of
components of the CS pathway processed for immunoblotting using
affinity-purified polyclonal antibody raised against a peptide from
CSP24 showed that the antibody recognized protein bands at 24 and 29 kDa. In addition, proteins separated by 2-D gel electrophoresis,
blotted, and probed with anti-CSP24 antibody revealed that the antibody recognized proteins with apparent molecular weights of 29 and 24 kDa.
The detection of the 29 and 24 kDa proteins with Western blot analysis
was completely blocked by preabsorption with excess CSP24 peptide (Fig.
2B,D). To further investigate the recognition of the
29 kDa protein by anti-CSP24, we obtained a partial sequence of the 29 kDa protein excised from multiple 2-D gels. The results of the sequence
analysis identified a peptide with an identical amino acid sequence to
the CSP24 peptide used as our antigen. The multiple proteins with
molecular weights of 29 and 24 kDa recognized by the antibody may be
explained by different charge states of the same phosphoproteins (Fig.
2C).

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Figure 1.
The 24 kDa phosphoprotein co-migrates with CSP24
identified from Coomassie blue-stained 2-D gels. In this example,
lysates consisted of eyes and proximal optic nerves from five animals.
A, Print of a Coomassie blue-stained 2-D gel showing the
location of CSP24 (arrow). CSP24 was excised from
multiple 2-D gels, and eluted products were subjected to reverse phase
HPLC and automated sequence analysis. B, Print from a
storage phosphorimaging screen of the same gel as in A
showing 2-D gel electrophoretic separation of
32PO4-labeled phosphoproteins. The
arrow indicates the location of CSP24 corresponding to
the Coomassie blue-labeled protein, indicated by the
arrow in part A. C,
Comparison of amino acid sequences of three peptides derived from CSP24
with members of the -thymosin family of actin-binding protein.
Identical amino acids are designated by solid lines, and
similar amino acids are designated by plus signs. The
percent identities of the Hermissenda peptides to the
other proteins were generated using the FASTA program.
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Figure 2.
Anti-CSP24 recognition of 24 and 29 kDa proteins
on Western blots. Lysates of components of the CS pathway were
processed for immunoblotting using an affinity-purified polyclonal
antibody raised against a peptide synthesized from a partial sequence
of protein CSP24. The lysates were resolved in SDS-polyacrylamide gels
and transferred to PVDF membranes. The immunocomplexes were detected
with enhanced chemiluminescence reagent following the manufacturer's
procedures. A, The antibody recognized two protein bands
at 29 and 24 kDa. We have obtained a partial sequence of the 29 kDa
protein that showed a peptide sequence that was identical to one
sequenced peptide generated from CSP24 and used as our antigen.
B, The detection of the 24 and 29 kDa proteins was
completely blocked by preabsorption with excess CSP24 peptide.
Identification of CSP24 separated by 2-D gel electrophoresis followed
by Western blot analysis is shown. C, Proteins were
separated by 2-D gel electrophoresis and blotted, and the PVDF membrane
was stained with Coomassie blue to identify CSP24. The PVDF membrane
was probed with anti-CSP24 antibody, resulting in the recognition of
CSP24 (arrow) by the antibody. In addition, 29 kDa
proteins were detected by anti-CSP24, consistent with the results of
the 1-D gel analysis. The additional spots recognized on the 2-D gels
may represent different charge states of the same 24 and 29 kDa
phosphoproteins. D, 2-D gel pretreated with blocking
peptide to anti-CSP24. The detection of CSP24 and 29 kDa proteins was
completely blocked by preabsorption with excess CSP24 peptide.
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To provide evidence that the phosphorylation of CSP24 is increased by
one-trial conditioning, we immunoprecipitated
32PO4-labeled
protein with anti-CSP24 in conditioned groups and unpaired controls.
Figure 3 shows that the lysates contained
CSP24, as indicated by the labeling in lanes 1-3. The
samples shown in Figure 3A were immunoprecipitated with
either the anti-CSP24 antibody or preimmune serum before SDS-PAGE and
phosphorimage analysis. Immunoprecipitation with the anti-CSP24
antibody dramatically reduced
32PO4 labeling in
lanes 1 and 2 of the supernatant fractions (Fig. 3B), but not after immunoprecipitation with preimmune serum,
as indicated in lane 3. The immunoprecipitates from the
in vitro-conditioned group (Fig. 3A, lane
1) showed greater
32PO4 incorporation
in CSP24 than the unpaired controls (lane 2). The group data
(n = 6) in Figure 3D show the mean ± SE conditioned/unpaired control ratios computed from densitometric
measurements of CSP24 bands from immunoprecipitates. The statistical
analysis of the group data revealed that one-trial in vitro
conditioning resulted in a significant increase in
32PO4 incorporation
in CSP24 (t(5) = 3.36;
p < 0.01) compared with the unpaired controls.

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Figure 3.
One-trial in vitro
conditioning results in an increased phosphorylation of CSP24 detected
in immunoprecipitates: analysis of anti-CSP24 or preimmune serum
immunoprecipitates, supernatants, and lysates. Print from a storage
phosphor screen shows 1-D electrophoretic separation of
32PO4-labeled proteins. A,
32PO4 incorporation into anti-CSP24
immunoprecipitates from an in vitro-conditioned group
(lane 1) and unpaired controls (lane 2).
As a control procedure, we examined 32PO4
incorporation into preimmune immunoprecipitates as shown in lane
3. Eight eyes were used in each sample. B,
32PO4 incorporation into proteins of the
supernatants from the in vitro-conditioned group
(lane 1) and unpaired controls (lane 2).
C, 32PO4 incorporation into
proteins in a sample of the lysates from the in
vitro-conditioned group (lane 1) and unpaired
controls (lane 2). Note that the 24 and 29 kDa bands are
labeled for all groups in the lysates. However,
immunoprecipitation with the anti-CSP24 antibody dramatically reduced
labeling of the 24 and 29 kDa proteins shown in lanes 1
and 2 of the supernatants, but the same proteins did not
exhibit a reduction in labeling after immunoprecipitation with
preimmune serum (lane 3). D, Group data
(n = 6) showing mean ± SE
conditioned/unpaired control ratios of densitometric measurements for
the 24 kDa band from immunoprecipitates. One-trial in
vitro conditioning resulted in a significant increase in
32PO4 incorporation in the 24 kDa protein band
compared with the unpaired control group. Densitometric analysis of the
Coomassie blue-stained 24 kDa bands from immunoprecipitates and lysates
did not reveal statistically significant differences between
conditioned and unpaired control samples: lysates,
t(5) = 1.3 (NS); immunoprecipitates,
t(5) = 0.8 (NS). The results indicate
that differences in 32PO4 incorporation cannot
be accounted for by between-group differences in either protein loading
or amount of precipitated protein. The hatched bar is
used for comparison purposes and represents an E/C ratio of 1, where the conditional group is identical to the unpaired control group.
*p < 0.01.
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Previous research with Hermissenda has shown that components
of memory formation after Pavlovian conditioning can be dissociated based on the contribution of different signal transduction pathways, protein synthesis, and gene induction (Matzel et al., 1990 ; Farley and
Schuman, 1991 ; Crow and Forrester, 1993 ; Crow et al., 1993 , 1998 ). We
have now isolated short-term memory from intermediate and long-term
memory by using a less-concentrated solution of 5-HT (5 × 10 6 M) than
normally used in our one-trial conditioning studies of Hermissenda. As shown in the example in Figure
4A and the group data
in Figure 4B, the CS paired with 5 × 10 6 M 5-HT
produced only a short-term pairing-specific increase in the
excitability of lateral B photoreceptors as measured with 2 sec
depolarizing extrinsic current pulses 15 and 30 min after conditioning
(Fig. 4A1, A2). Excitability had decremented to
levels comparable with unpaired controls 60 and 75 min after
conditioning (Fig. 4A3,B), indicating that
enhancement produced by this procedure is indeed short-term. In
addition, excitability assessed at 3 hr
(t(8) = 1.06; NS) and 24 hr
(t(10) = 0.57; NS) after conditioning was not significantly different from unpaired controls. The results of
the ANOVA revealed a significant overall effect of conditioning (F(1,50) = 21.5; p < 0.001) and significant changes in excitability assessed at different
times after conditioning (F(4,50) = 6.9; p < 0.001). Significant differences between the
conditioned group (n = 6) and unpaired controls
(n = 6) were observed at 15 min (t(10) = 2.2; p < 0.05) and 30 min (t(10) = 4.3;
p < 0.001) after conditioning. To determine whether
short-term enhancement is also accompanied by phosphorylation of CSP24,
we examined 32PO4
labeling of CSP24 in immunoprecipitates of samples after one-trial in vitro conditioning using 5 × 10 6 M 5-HT in
conditioned groups (n = 7) and unpaired controls
(n = 7). As shown in the examples of Figure
4C1, the
32PO4 labeling of
CSP24 was similar for the conditioned group (lane 1) and the
unpaired controls (lane 2). The statistical analysis of the
group data shown in Figure 4D revealed that the
conditioned group was not significantly different from the unpaired
controls (t(6) = 1.1; NS). These
results show that increased phosphorylation of CSP24 is not observed
after procedures that only result in short-term enhanced
excitability.

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Figure 4.
Light paired with 5 × 10 6 M 5-HT results in short-term
enhanced excitability. A, Examples of enhanced
excitability examined in lateral B photoreceptors from conditioned
(Cond.; A1) and unpaired
(A2) controls 30 min after conditioning and a
conditioned group assessed 75 min after conditioning
(A3). B, Group data depicting mean
frequency ± SE in spikes per second elicited by 2 sec
depolarizing extrinsic current pulses. Excitability was assessed for
independent groups at 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 min after conditioning.
Significant differences between conditioned and unpaired controls were
only detected at 15 min (p < 0.05) and 30 min (p < 0.001) after conditioning.
C, Short-term enhanced excitability produced by
one-trial in vitro conditioning does not result in an
increased phosphorylation of CSP24 based on the analysis of anti-CSP24
immunoprecipitates, supernatants, and lysates. Print from a storage
phosphor screen shows 1-D SDS gel electrophoretic separation of
32PO4-labeled proteins. C1,
32PO4 incorporation into anti-CSP24
immunoprecipitates from the in vitro-conditioned group
(lane 1) and unpaired control (lane 2).
C2, Supernatant samples. Lane 1,
Conditioned group; lane 2, unpaired control group.
C3, Lysate sample for conditioned group (lane
1) and unpaired control group (lane 2). No
significant differences between groups in 32PO4
incorporation were found after a conditioning procedure that produced
only short-term enhancement. D, Group data
(n = 7) showing mean ± SE
conditioned/unpaired (C/UP) control
ratios of densitometric measurements for the 24 kDa band from
immunoprecipitates. The hatched bar is used for
comparison purposes and represents an experimental/control ratio of
1.
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DISCUSSION |
We have shown that peptides derived from a phosphoprotein (CSP24)
associated with an intermediate stage of memory after one-trial conditioning exhibit amino acid sequences that are similar to members
of the -thymosin family of actin-binding protein. Western blot
analysis of 1- and 2-D gels probed with anti-CSP24 antibody showed a
recognition of CSP24. Immunoprecipitation studies using anti-CSP24
revealed significantly greater
32PO4 incorporation
into immunoprecipitates from conditioned preparations compared with
unpaired controls. Finally, a modification of the one-trial
conditioning procedure that only produced short-term enhanced
excitability did not produce statistically significant differences in
32PO4 labeling of
CSP24 in immunoprecipitates from conditioned groups compared with
unpaired controls.
The requirement for protein synthesis in supporting the intermediate
component of memory may be dependent on the learning paradigm, species,
and signal transduction pathways responsible for the induction,
maintenance, and expression of learning. As an example, the increased
excitability of Aplysia sensory neurons measured 3 hr after
activation of PKC is independent of protein synthesis (Manseau et al.,
1998 ). One form of 5-HT-induced intermediate-term facilitation is
reported to be independent of both protein synthesis and persistent PKA
activity (Sutton and Carew, 1999 ). Moreover, there are examples from
conditioning of Drosophila in which an intermediate phase of
memory is not dependent on protein synthesis (DeZazzo and Tully, 1995 ).
In contrast, an intermediate phase of synaptic facilitation produced by
a concentration-dependent exposure to 5-HT in co-cultured
Aplysia sensory neurons is protein synthesis-dependent and
mRNA synthesis-independent (Ghirardi et al., 1995 ). The results from
these studies of synaptic facilitation suggest that the transition from
short- to long-term facilitation involves a transient intermediate
phase consisting of several distinct mechanisms that are engaged by
different concentrations of 5-HT or the number of 5-HT applications.
However, the same phosphoproteins have been proposed to account for
both short- and long-term facilitation in Aplysia (Sweatt
and Kandel, 1989 ). In contrast, using a concentration of 5-HT
sufficient to produce long-term enhancement with a single conditioning
trial, we have identified an intermediate stage of memory that is
protein synthesis-dependent and mRNA synthesis-independent (Crow et
al., 1999 ). We have also shown that long-term enhancement can be
expressed after procedures that totally block the induction and
expression of short-term enhancement (Crow and Forrester, 1993 ),
indicating that the components of memory involve independent
mechanisms. Moreover, our evidence indicates that short-term
enhancement is Ca2+- and PKC-dependent
(Crow et al., 1991 ; Falk-Vairant and Crow, 1992 ) but not
dependent on activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase
pathway; a protein kinase that is activated by conditioning of
Hermissenda (Crow et al., 1998 ). It is thus likely that the
three components of memory after one-trial conditioning of
Hermissenda may involve distinct signaling pathways and
different phosphoproteins.
The assembly and disassembly of actin filaments induced by
extracellular signals underlie a number of cellular processes and may
play a role in cellular and synaptic plasticity (Fifkova and Morales,
1992 ; Kim and Lisman, 1999 ). To perform functions supporting cellular
plasticity, the organization of the actin cytoskeleton requires
temporal and spatial regulation by proteins. The activity of these
proteins is modulated by intracellular signals that recruit actin
nucleation and polymerization to specific cellular sites (Schmidt and
Hall, 1998 ). Although all known vertebrate and invertebrate -thymosins bind actin monomers (Nachmias, 1993 ; Safer and Chowrashi, 1997 ), recent evidence suggests that -thymosins are not just simple
actin-buffering proteins (Sun et al., 1996 ). The regulation of
-thymosin-like proteins by one-trial conditioning may amplify the
effect of filament uncapping by creating a reservoir of G-actin that
can be desequestered to supply actin to filament ends. In addition,
actin-binding proteins such as -thymosin, which stabilize actin
monomers, may facilitate nucleation. Our results would thus support a
potential role for -thymosin-like proteins in plasticity by
regulating the turnover of actin filaments in neurons of the CS pathway
of conditioned animals during the intermediate-term transition period
between short- and long-term memory.
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FOOTNOTES |
Received Jan. 13, 2000; revised March 6, 2000; accepted March 6, 2000.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants
MH-40860 and MH-01363 to T.C. We thank R. Cook for the determination of
amino acid sequences, A. Bean, P. Dash, and J. Neary for helpful discussions, and D. Parker for typing this manuscript.
Correspondence should be addressed to Terry Crow, Department of
Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical School, 6431 Fannin Street, Room 7.046, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail:
tcrow{at}nba19.med.uth.tmc.edu.
This article is published in
The Journal of Neuroscience, Rapid Communications Section,
which publishes brief, peer-reviewed papers online, not in print. Rapid
Communications are posted online approximately one month earlier than
they would appear if printed. They are listed in the Table of Contents
of the next open issue of JNeurosci. Cite this article as:
JNeurosci, 2000, 20:RC74 (1-5). The
publication date is the date of posting online at
www.jneurosci.org.
 |
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