Université de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale, Toulouse Cedex 9, France.
Eur J Neurosci. 2012 Aug;36(4):2409-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08144.x. Epub 2012 May 27.
Glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls) are members of the cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel superfamily whose presence has been reported in a variety of invertebrate tissues. In the honeybee, a single gene, amel_glucl, encoding a GluClα subunit, was found in the genome but both the pattern of expression of this gene in the bee brain and its functional role remained unknown. Here we localised the expression sites of the honeybee GluClα subunit at the mRNA and protein levels. To characterise the functional role of GluCls in the honeybee brain, we studied their implication in olfactory learning and memory by means of RNA interference (RNAi) against the GluClα subunit. We found that the GluClα subunit is expressed in the muscles, the antennae and the brain of honeybees. Expression of the GluClα protein was necessary for the retrieval of olfactory memories; more specifically, injection of dsRNA or siRNA resulted in a decrease in retention performances ∼24 h after injection. Knockdown of GluClα subunits impaired neither olfaction nor sucrose sensitivity, and did not affect the capacity to associate odor and sucrose. Our data provide the first evidence for the involvement of glutamate-gated chloride channels in olfactory memory in an invertebrate.
谷氨酸门控氯离子通道（GluCls）是 cys 环配体门控离子通道超家族的成员，其存在已在多种无脊椎动物组织中报道。在蜜蜂中，基因组中发现了一个单一的基因 amel_glucl，它编码一个 GluClα 亚基，但该基因在蜜蜂大脑中的表达模式及其功能作用仍然未知。在这里，我们在 mRNA 和蛋白质水平上定位了蜜蜂 GluClα 亚基的表达部位。为了研究 GluCls 在蜜蜂大脑中的功能作用，我们通过针对 GluClα 亚基的 RNA 干扰（RNAi）研究了它们在嗅觉学习和记忆中的作用。我们发现 GluClα 亚基在蜜蜂的肌肉、触角和大脑中表达。GluClα 蛋白的表达对于嗅觉记忆的检索是必要的；更具体地说，dsRNA 或 siRNA 的注射会导致注射后约 24 小时时保留性能下降。GluClα 亚基的敲低既不会影响嗅觉，也不会影响蔗糖敏感性，也不会影响气味和蔗糖的关联能力。我们的数据首次提供了谷氨酸门控氯离子通道参与无脊椎动物嗅觉记忆的证据。
