Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Monitoring Changes in the Intracellular Calcium Concentration and Synaptic Efficacy in the Mollusc Aplysia
Published on: July 15, 2012
AU-rich element-binding protein negatively regulates CCAAT enhancer-binding protein mRNA stability during long-term
Yong-Seok Lee1, Sun-Lim Choi, Heejung Jun
1National Creative Research Initiative Center for Memory, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract:
The consolidation of long-term memory for sensitization and synaptic facilitation in Aplysia requires synthesis of new mRNA including the immediate early gene Aplysia CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (ApC/EBP). After the rapid induction of ApC/EBP expression in response to repeated treatments of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), ApC/EBP mRNA is temporarily expressed in sensory neurons of sensory-to-motor synapses. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the rapid degradation of ApC/EBP transcript is not known. Here, we cloned an AU-rich element (ARE)-binding protein, ApAUF1, which functions as a destabilizing factor for ApC/EBP mRNA. ApAUF1 was found to bind to the 3' UTR of ApC/EBP mRNA that contains AREs and subsequently reduces the expression of ApC/EBP 3' UTR-containing reporter genes. Moreover, overexpression of ApAUF1 inhibited the induction of ApC/EBP mRNA in sensory neurons and also impaired long-term facilitation of sensory-to-motor synapses by repetitive 5-HT treatments. These results provide evidence for a critical role of the posttranscriptional modification of ApC/EBP mRNA during the consolidation of synaptic plasticity.
Related Concept Videos
RNA Stability
Catenins
Catenins in Cell Junctions
Catenins bind to cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins and link them to different cytoskeletal proteins depending on the type of cell junction. At the adherens...
RNA Editing
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
The chromatin structure, especially...
mRNA Stability and Gene Expression
Cis-acting Elements involved in mRNA stability

