DNA methylation mediates neural processing after odor learning in the honeybee

Stephanie D. Biergans, Charles Claudianos, Judith Reinhard, C. Giovanni Galizia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) - epigenetic writers catalyzing the transfer of methyl-groups to cytosine (DNA methylation) - regulate different aspects of memory formation in many animal species. In honeybees, Dnmt activity is required to adjust the specificity of olfactory reward memories and bees' relearning capability. The physiological relevance of Dnmt-mediated DNA methylation in neural networks, however, remains unknown. Here, we investigated how Dnmt activity impacts neuroplasticity in the bees' primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe (AL) an equivalent of the vertebrate olfactory bulb. The AL is crucial for odor discrimination, an indispensable process in forming specific odor memories. Using pharmacological inhibition, we demonstrate that Dnmt activity influences neural network properties during memory formation in vivo. We show that Dnmt activity promotes fast odor pattern separation in trained bees. Furthermore, Dnmt activity during memory formation increases both the number of responding glomeruli and the response magnitude to a novel odor. These data suggest that Dnmt activity is necessary for a form of homoeostatic network control which might involve inhibitory interneurons in the AL network.

Original languageEnglish
Article number43635
Pages (from-to)43635
Number of pages1
JournalScientific Reports
Volume7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Feb 2017
Externally publishedYes

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