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Published on: June 4, 2020
Subregion-specific p300 conditional knock-out mice exhibit long-term memory impairments
Ana M M Oliveira1, Marcel A Estévez, Joshua D Hawk
1Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|February 25, 2011
Summary
The histone acetyltransferase p300 is essential for forming long-term memories. Conditional knockout mice lacking p300 in specific brain regions showed deficits in recognition and fear memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Histone acetylation is crucial for long-term memory.
- The histone acetyltransferase (HAT) CBP is known to be involved in memory formation.
- The roles of other HAT proteins, like p300, in memory are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the HAT p300 in long-term memory formation.
- To determine if p300 acts as a transcriptional coactivator in memory processes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a loss-of-function approach using conditional knockout mice.
- p300 deletion was restricted to the postnatal phase and specific forebrain subregions.
Main Results:
- p300 is required for the formation of long-term recognition memory.
- p300 is essential for long-term contextual fear memory.
- These memory deficits were observed in the CA1 area of the hippocampus and cortical regions.
Conclusions:
- p300 plays a critical role in the molecular mechanisms underlying long-term memory consolidation.
- The findings highlight p300 as a key player in hippocampal and cortical memory circuits.
