Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that have an unclear function. piRNA expression was thought to be limited to germline cells, but in a new study, Kandel and colleagues have detected piRNAs in a microRNA library from the CNS of Aplysia californica. Experiments involving knockdown of Piwi in cultured A. californica neurons revealed that Piwi–piRNA complexes enhance serotonin-induced long-term facilitation — a form of synaptic plasticity implicated in long-term memory. These complexes exerted their effects through methylation of the promoter region of the gene encoding CREB2, a major transcriptional repressor of memory formation in A. californica, leading to a decrease in CREB2 expression.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Rajasethupathy, P. et al. A role for neuronal piRNAs in the epigenetic control of memory-related synaptic plasticity. Cell 149, 693–707 (2012)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yates, D. piRNA-regulated memory?. Nat Rev Neurosci 13, 363 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3268
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3268