This study describes a mechanism by which small RNAs expressed in neurons may contribute to long-term memory. The authors discovered an abundance of PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in Aplysia neurons that seem to control the epigenetic regulation of the transcription factor cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein 2 (CREB2) — a repressor of long-term memory function. In response to serotonin, piRNAs facilitates methylation of the CREB2 promoter, thereby silencing gene expression. This results in enhanced long-term synaptic changes in the functional state of neurons, suggesting that piRNAs regulate memory storage through an epigenetic mechanism and showing a role for piRNAs outside of the germ line.
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
Jones, B. RNA-mediated mechanism for memory storage. Nat Rev Genet 13, 379 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3260
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3260