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Covalent modification of DNA regulates memory formation

Academic Article
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Overview

authors

  • Miller, Courtney
  • Sweatt, J. D.

publication date

  • March 2007

journal

  • Neuron  Journal

abstract

  • DNA methylation is a covalent chemical modification of DNA catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). DNA methylation is associated with transcriptional silencing and has been studied extensively as a lifelong molecular information storage mechanism put in place during development. Here we report that DNMT gene expression is upregulated in the adult rat hippocampus following contextual fear conditioning and that DNMT inhibition blocks memory formation. In addition, fear conditioning is associated with rapid methylation and transcriptional silencing of the memory suppressor gene PP1 and demethylation and transcriptional activation of the synaptic plasticity gene reelin, indicating both methyltransferase and demethylase activity during consolidation. DNMT inhibition prevents the PP1 methylation increase, resulting in aberrant transcription of the gene during the memory-consolidation period. These results demonstrate that DNA methylation is dynamically regulated in the adult nervous system and that this cellular mechanism is a crucial step in memory formation.

subject areas

  • Animals
  • Azacitidine
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal
  • Conditioning, Classical
  • DNA
  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase
  • DNA Methylation
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins
  • Fear
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
  • Hippocampus
  • Male
  • Memory
  • Models, Biological
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Serine Endopeptidases
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Identity

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0896-6273

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.02.022

PubMed ID

  • 17359920
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Additional Document Info

start page

  • 857

end page

  • 869

volume

  • 53

issue

  • 6

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