Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2025
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Purification of H3 and H4 Histone Proteins and the Quantification of Acetylated Histone Marks in Cells and Brain Tissue
Published on: November 30, 2018
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Histone Lysine Crotonylation Regulates Long-Term Memory Storage
Utsav Mukherjee1,2,3, Budhaditya Basu1,2, Stacy E Beyer1,2
1Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 3, 2025
Summary
Histone lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a newly identified epigenetic regulator crucial for long-term memory consolidation. Enhancing Kcr boosts memory, while reducing it impairs memory storage in the hippocampus.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate gene transcription and are vital for memory.
- Lysine acetylation (Kac) is a known PTM in memory consolidation, but the roles of other acylations are unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of histone lysine crotonylation (Kcr) in hippocampal memory storage.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Kcr influences memory consolidation.
Main Methods:
- Spatial memory training in mice.
- Genetic and pharmacological manipulation of hippocampal Kcr levels.
- Single-nuclei multiomics and cell-cell communication analysis.
Main Results:
- Spatial memory training induced specific spatiotemporal patterns of Kcr in the dorsal hippocampus.
- Reduced hippocampal Kcr impaired long-term memory, while increased Kcr enhanced memory.
- Kcr enhancement upregulated genes related to neurotransmission and synaptic function in hippocampal excitatory neurons, strengthening glutamatergic signaling.
Conclusions:
- Histone lysine crotonylation (Kcr) acts as a key epigenetic regulator in hippocampal memory consolidation.
- Kcr modulation offers a potential therapeutic target for memory-related disorders.
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