1. Neur1 and Neur2 are required for hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and synaptic plasticity.
- Author
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Lee J, Yoon KJ, Park P, Lee C, Kim MJ, Han DH, Kim JI, Kim S, Lee HR, Lee Y, Jang EH, Ko HG, Kong YY, and Kaang BK
- Subjects
- Animals, Female, Male, Maze Learning physiology, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Nerve Tissue Proteins genetics, Repressor Proteins genetics, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes genetics, Hippocampus metabolism, Nerve Tissue Proteins deficiency, Neuronal Plasticity physiology, Repressor Proteins deficiency, Spatial Memory physiology, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes deficiency
- Abstract
Neur1 and Neur2, mouse homologs of the Drosophila neur gene, consist of two neuralized homology repeat domains and a RING domain. Both Neur1 and Neur2 are expressed in the whole adult brain and encode E3 ubiquitin ligases, which play a crucial role in the Notch signaling pathways. A previous study reported that overexpression of Neur1 enhances hippocampus-dependent memory, whereas the role of Neur2 remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to elucidate the respective roles of Neur1 and Neur2 in hippocampus-dependent memory using three lines of genetically modified mice: Neur1 knock-out, Neur2 knock-out, and Neur1 and Neur2 double knock-out (D-KO). Our results showed that spatial memory was impaired when both Neur1 and Neur2 were deleted, but not in the individual knock-out of either Neur1 or Neur2. In addition, basal synaptic properties estimated by input-output relationships and paired-pulse facilitation did not change, but a form of long-term potentiation that requires protein synthesis was specifically impaired in the D-KO mice. These results collectively suggest that Neur1 and Neur2 are crucially involved in hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and synaptic plasticity., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
- Published
- 2020
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