The E3 ligase ube3a is required for learning in Drosophila melanogaster

Angelman syndrome and autism are neurodevelopmental disorders linked to mutations and duplications of an E3 ligase called ube3a respectively. Since cognitive deficits and learning disabilities are hallmark symptoms of both these disorders, we investigated a role for dube3a in the learning ability of flies using the aversive phototaxis suppression assay. We show that down and up-regulation of dube3a are both detrimental to learning in larvae and adults. Using conditional gene expression we found that dube3a is required for normal brain development and during adulthood. Furthermore, we suggest that dube3a could be interacting with other learning and memory genes such as derailed. Along with firmly establishing dube3a as a gene that is required for learning, our work also opens avenues for further understanding the role played by this gene in brain development and behavior.