Neur1 and Neur2 are required for hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and synaptic plasticity.

Neur1 and Neur2, mouse homologs of the Drosophila neur gene, consist of two neuralized homology repeat domains and a RING domain. Both Neur1 and Neur2 are expressed in the whole adult brain and encode E3 ubiquitin ligases, which play a crucial role in the Notch signaling pathways. A previous study reported that overexpression of Neur1 enhances hippocampus-dependent memory, whereas the role of Neur2 remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to elucidate the respective roles of Neur1 and Neur2 in hippocampus-dependent memory using three lines of genetically modified mice: Neur1 knock-out, Neur2 knock-out, and Neur1 and Neur2 double knock-out (D-KO). Our results showed that spatial memory was impaired when both Neur1 and Neur2 were deleted, but not in the individual knock-out of either Neur1 or Neur2. In addition, basal synaptic properties estimated by input-output relationships and paired-pulse facilitation did not change, but a form of long-term potentiation that requires protein synthesis was specifically impaired in the D-KO mice. These results collectively suggest that Neur1 and Neur2 are crucially involved in hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and synaptic plasticity. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Citation

Jaehyun Lee, Ki-Jun Yoon, Pojeong Park, Chaery Lee, Min Jung Kim, Dae Hee Han, Ji-Il Kim, Somi Kim, Hye-Ryeon Lee, Yeseul Lee, Eun-Hae Jang, Hyoung-Gon Ko, Young-Yun Kong, Bong-Kiun Kaang. Neur1 and Neur2 are required for hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and synaptic plasticity. Hippocampus. 2020 Nov;30(11):1158-1166

PMID: 32644222

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