Associative Learning Disrupted by Impaired Gs
Signaling in Drosophila Mushroom Bodies
John B. Connolly,
*
Ian J. H. Roberts,
J.
Douglas Armstrong,
Kim Kaiser,
Michael Forte,
Tim Tully,
Cahir J. O'Kane
Disruptions in mushroom body (MB) or central complex (CC) brain
structures impair Drosophila associative olfactory learning. Perturbations in adenosine 3
,5 monophosphate signaling also disrupt
learning. To integrate these observations, expression of a
constitutively activated stimulatory heterotrimeric guanosine triphosphate-binding protein 
subunit (Gs*) was
targeted to these brain structures. The ability to associate odors with
electroshock was abolished when Gs* was targeted to MB,
but not CC, structures, whereas sensorimotor responses to these stimuli
remained normal. Expression of Gs* did not affect gross
MB morphology, and wild-type Gs expression did not
affect learning. Thus, olfactory learning depends on regulated
Gs signaling in Drosophila MBs.
J. B. Connolly, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor,
NY 11724, USA, and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
I. J. H. Roberts and C. J. O'Kane. Department of Genetics, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
J. D. Armstrong and K. Kaiser, Division of Molecular Genetics,
Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Pontecorvo Building,
University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G11 6NU, UK.
M. Forte, Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research, Oregon
Health Sciences University, 3181 Southwestern Sam Jackson Park Road,
Portland, OR 97201, USA.
T. Tully, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
connollj{at}cshl.org
