PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sakaguchi, Hironobu
AU  - Wada, Kazuhiro
AU  - Maekawa, Masao
AU  - Watsuji, Toshikazu
AU  - Hagiwara, Masatoshi
TI  - Song-Induced Phosphorylation of cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein in the Songbird Brain
AID  - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.19-10-03973.1999
DP  - 1999 May 15
TA  - The Journal of Neuroscience
PG  - 3973--3981
VI  - 19
IP  - 10
4099  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/19/10/3973.short
4100  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/19/10/3973.full
SO  - J. Neurosci.1999 May 15; 19
AB  - We have investigated the participation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in the response of the songbird brain to a natural auditory stimulus, a conspecific song. The cells in the two song control nuclei, the higher vocal center (HVC) and area X of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), were intensely stained with an anti-CREB monoclonal antibody. Double-labeling studies showed that CREB immunoreactivity was detected only in area X-projecting neurons in the HVC. The cloned CREB cDNA from zebra finches (zCREB) is highly homologous to mammalian δ CREB. Phosphorylation of zCREB at Ser119 in area X-projecting HVC neurons was induced by hearing tape-recorded conspecific songs of zebra finches, but not by birdsongs of another species or white noise. These results raise the possibility that zCREB plays a crucial role in the sensory process of song learning.