Spatial Learning Is Associated with Antagonist Outcomes for DNA Methylation and DNA Hydroxymethylation in the Transcriptional Regulation of the Ryanodine Receptor 3

Neural Plast. 2021 Aug 11;2021:9930962. doi: 10.1155/2021/9930962. eCollection 2021.ABSTRACTIncreasing attention has been drawn to the role that intracellular calcium stores play in neuronal function. Ryr3 is an intracellular calcium channel that contributes to hippocampal long-term potentiation, dendritic spine function, and higher cognitive processes. Interestingly, stimuli that increase neuronal activity upregulate the transcriptional activity of Ryr3 and augment DNA methylation in its proximal promoter. However, if these observations are valid for complex behavioral tasks such as learning and memory remains being evaluated. Relative expression analysis revealed that spatial learning increased the hippocampal levels of Ryr3, whereas mice trained using a visible platform that resulted in no spatial association showed reduced expression. Interestingly, we also observed that specific DNA modifications accompanied these opposite transcriptional changes. Increased DNA methylation was observed in hippocampal samples from spatially trained mice, and increased DNA hydroxymethylation was found in samples from mice trained using a visible platform. Both DNA modifications were not altered in control regions, suggesting that these changes are not generalized, but rather specific modifications associated with this calcium channel's transcriptional regulation. Our two experimental groups underwent the same physical task differing only in the spatial learning component, highlighting the ...
Source: Neural Plasticity - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research