 |
|
Researchers see evidence of memory in the songbird brain
June 29, 2009CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When a zebra finch hears a new song from a member of its own species, the experience changes gene expression in its brain in unexpected ways, researchers report. The sequential switching on and off of thousands of genes after a bird hears a new tune offers a new picture of memory in the songbird brain.
The finding, detailed this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was a surprise, said principal investigator David Clayton, a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Illinois. He and his colleagues had not expected to see so many genes involved, and thought that any changes in gene activity after a bird heard a new song would quickly dissipate.
The new experiments uncovered three distinct profiles of gene expression in the brain. One is typical of a bird sitting alone in silence. A second profile appears quickly just after a bird hears a recorded song - but only if the song is new to the bird. A third profile then emerges 24 hours later, after the song has become familiar.
"I can tell you whether the bird has heard a particular song before or not just by looking at the molecular assay," Clayton said.
In the study, each bird was kept in quiet isolation overnight before it heard a recording of a new song. The recording was then repeated every 10 seconds for up to three hours.
"The most important thing in its whole life is the sound of another bird of its species singing," Clayton said.
"And what we found is that 24 hours after the experience its brain is still trying to make sense of what it heard."
The new study took a broad snapshot of gene activity in the brain. Using DNA microarray analysis, the researchers measured changes in levels of messenger RNAs in the auditory forebrain of finches exposed to a new song. These mRNAs are templates that allow the cell to translate individual genes into the proteins that do the work of the cells. Any surge or drop in the number of mRNAs in brain cells after a stimulus offers clues to how the brain is responding.
Some genes were upregulated within 30 minutes of exposure to a new song, the researchers found, and these included a lot of transcription factors that modulate the activity of other genes. Many other genes were downregulated, including those that code for ion channel proteins, which allow ions to flow into the cell. This could be one way that the brain dampens its response to a powerful stimulus, protecting itself from too much disturbance, Clayton said.
"Whenever something unexpected and different comes along, such as the song of a new bird in the neighborhood, it's going to deform the listening bird's neural network," Clayton said. "And so the system has to basically absorb some of that, make some changes and not be overwhelmed by it. If you push the system around too much, cells die."
On the other hand, if the system were completely resistant to disturbance, no memory would form, he said.
Twenty-four hours after the initial stimulus, the pattern of activated genes was entirely different from that of the initial response, regardless of whether the bird heard the song again on day two or not, Clayton said. Those genes that were originally upregulated or downregulated had returned to baseline, and a new network of genes was engaged. A major focus of this new network appears to be the regulation of energy metabolism. This suggests a lot is still going on in the brain, Clayton said.
"It's like we've lifted the hood and we're seeing that these things are just chugging away," Clayton said. "The bird had this one day of experience and a day later the brain is in a different state. It's still in high gear. It's still processing stuff. It's still reverberating and echoing."
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"I can tell you whether the bird has heard a particular song before or not just by looking at the molecular assay," Clayton said.
In the study, each bird was kept in quiet isolation overnight before it heard a recording of a new song. The recording was then repeated every 10 seconds for up to three hours.
"The most important thing in its whole life is the sound of another bird of its species singing," Clayton said.
"And what we found is that 24 hours after the experience its brain is still trying to make sense of what it heard."
The new study took a broad snapshot of gene activity in the brain. Using DNA microarray analysis, the researchers measured changes in levels of messenger RNAs in the auditory forebrain of finches exposed to a new song. These mRNAs are templates that allow the cell to translate individual genes into the proteins that do the work of the cells. Any surge or drop in the number of mRNAs in brain cells after a stimulus offers clues to how the brain is responding.
Some genes were upregulated within 30 minutes of exposure to a new song, the researchers found, and these included a lot of transcription factors that modulate the activity of other genes. Many other genes were downregulated, including those that code for ion channel proteins, which allow ions to flow into the cell. This could be one way that the brain dampens its response to a powerful stimulus, protecting itself from too much disturbance, Clayton said.
"Whenever something unexpected and different comes along, such as the song of a new bird in the neighborhood, it's going to deform the listening bird's neural network," Clayton said. "And so the system has to basically absorb some of that, make some changes and not be overwhelmed by it. If you push the system around too much, cells die."
On the other hand, if the system were completely resistant to disturbance, no memory would form, he said.
Twenty-four hours after the initial stimulus, the pattern of activated genes was entirely different from that of the initial response, regardless of whether the bird heard the song again on day two or not, Clayton said. Those genes that were originally upregulated or downregulated had returned to baseline, and a new network of genes was engaged. A major focus of this new network appears to be the regulation of energy metabolism. This suggests a lot is still going on in the brain, Clayton said.
"It's like we've lifted the hood and we're seeing that these things are just chugging away," Clayton said. "The bird had this one day of experience and a day later the brain is in a different state. It's still in high gear. It's still processing stuff. It's still reverberating and echoing."
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Gene Expression Current Events and Gene Expression News RSSNew research into the mechanisms of gene regulation
A team led by Penn State's Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has taken a large step toward unraveling how regulatory proteins control the production of gene products during development and growth.
The Protein Srebp2 Drives Cholesterol Formation in Prion-Infected Neuronal Cells Which May Promote Prion-Dependent Diseases
The regulating protein Srebp2 drives cholesterol formation, which prions need for their propagation, in prion-infected neuronal cells.
Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow.
Penn Study Provides First Clear Idea of How Rare Bone Disease Progresses
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is taking the first step in developing a treatment for a rare genetic disorder called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), in which the body's skeletal muscles and soft connective tissue turns to bone, immobilizing patients over a lifetime with a second skeleton.
Why can't chimps speak?
If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?
Treatment to improve degenerating muscle gains strength
A study appearing in Science Translational Medicine puts scientists one step closer to clinical trials to test a gene delivery strategy to improve muscle mass and function in patients with certain degenerative muscle disorders.
BUSM researchers show dieters can experience neurobiological similarities of drug addicts
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that intermittent access to foods rich in fat and sugar induces changes in the brain which are comparable to those observed in drug dependence.
FDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells
The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.
Deciphering the regulatory code
Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived.
Experimental agent reduces breast cancer metastasis to bone
Researchers have reduced breast cancer metastasis to bone using an experimental agent to inhibit ROCK, a protein that was found to be over-expressed in metastatic breast cancer.
More Gene Expression Current Events and Gene Expression News Articles
 |
Regulation of Gene Expression by Gary H. Perdew (Author), Jack P. Vanden Heuvel (Author), Jeffrey M. Peters (Author) Regulation of Gene Expression: Molecular Mechanisms presents a comprehensive overview of methods and approaches for characterizing mechanisms of gene regulation. The text is appropriate both as a graduate textbook and a standard laboratory reference and provides the essential groundwork for an advanced understanding of the various mechanisms that may result in altered activity of a specific cell protein. Each of three sections explores mechanisms of gene regulation and expression, and presents methods and protocols for achieving specific experimental goals. Part I focuses on approaches for studying control of mRNA expression and determining target genes for a given transcription copy. Part II outlines the methods for determining how proteins can regulate each other by mediating... |
 |
Gene Expression and Regulation by Jun Ma (Author) This book offers a comprehensive look into the science of gene expression and regulation. Focusing on topics such as actions of nuclear receptors, RNA processing, and DNA methylation and imprinting, "Gene Expression and Regulation" is edited by a leading biologist and includes contributions by experts in the field. Presented in the following five sections, this book covers a full spectrum of topics: The History; The Machinery; The Regulators; The Genome; and Special Topics. The Machinery section covers the transcriptional apparatus and general transcription factors. The Regulators section examines selected gene-specific transcription factors important to regulating gene expression. The Genome section covers issues relevant to the behavior of the genome in relation to gene regulation. The... |
 |
The Psychobiology of Gene Expression by Ernest L. Rossi (Author) Outlines the relationship between genes and human experience. The understandings of gene expression emerging from the Human Genome Project are setting the stage for a profound expansion of our understanding of life. We are just now beginning to learn how the brain, body, and genes interact in everyday life. Here, Ernest Rossi introduces the new science of psychosocial genomics and explores how it will profoundly change our understanding of the pathways of communication among mind, body, and spirit. |
 |
Gene Regulation (BIOS Advanced Text) by David Latchman (Author) Gene regulation is an essential process in the development and maintenance of a healthy body, and as such is a central focus in both basic science and medical research. Gene Regulation, Fifth Edition, provides the student with a clear, up-to-date description of gene regulation in eukaryotes, distilling the vast and complex primary literature into a concise overview. For this fifth edition, in addition to extensive updating of existing material, sections on large-scale methodologies have been expanded, and a new section included on regulation by small interfering RNAs. More detail has been added on the role of multi-protein complexes in transcriptional activation and the discussion of the regulation of transcription factor activity by specific modifications to include acetylation... |
 |
Gene Expression by Seed Media Group A scientific blog interested in evolutionary biology, with a particular focus on evolutionary, population and quantitative genetics. Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle contain full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day. |
 |
Microarray: Gene Expression Analysis by Virendra Gomase (Author) Microarray is an authoritative work whose goal is to illuminate the crucial role of research methodology in the life sciences. Microarray book will adopt an inclusive editorial approach, encompassing fundamental and blue-sky science and have more immediate medical or commercial applications. The scope and structure of the work will reflect the multidimensional character of drug design, focusing in particular on the fundamental science of biological structures and systems, the use of chemical and biological techniques to elucidate that science, and the applications of this knowledge in areas as diverse as drug discovery. This book contains practical examples, theoretical approaches, a large number of examples and references. Complete theory related to drug design has been covered for the... |
|
Techniques in Genetic Engineering 5: Expression of Cloned Genes [VHS] Starring: Tim Harris | |
 |
Celestial Plea by Gene Newton |
 |
Cap-analysis Gene Expression (Cage): Genome-scale Promoter Identification and Association With Expression Profile and Regulatory Networks by Piero Carninci (Author) The output of eukaryotic genomes is much more complex than expected. Genes produce different variants of RNAs from multiple promoters. One of the ultimate targets of biological analysis is to establish a relationship between the messenger RNAs that are transcribed from the genome and the genomic regions that control their expression - the promoters - in order to decipher the networks that regulate gene expression and the transcription factors that act as master regulators of transcriptional control. Novel technologies have recently appeared that allow deciphering of transcriptional network, based on the identification of the starting site of gene transcription, with the simultaneous measurement of expression level and identification of the promoter elements.These tagging technologies... |
 |
GENE KELLY SINGING IN THE RAIN 8X10 PHOTO Beautiful photograph. Printed on photographic paper from an actual negative. Add to your collection. Will look great on a media room wall. Please check out the rest of our collection. Will be adding more. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |