Differential regulation of innate and learned behavior by creb1/crh-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans .

Memory formation is crucial for the survival of animals. Here, we study the effect of different crh-1 [Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of mammalian cAMP response element binding protein 1 (CREB1)] isoforms on the ability of C. elegans to form long-term memory (LTM). Null mutants in crebl/crh-1 are defective in LTM formation across phyla. We show that a specific isoform of CREB1/CRH-1, CRH- 1e, is primarily responsible for memory related functions of the transcription factor in C. elegans. Silencing of CRH-1e-expressing neurons during training for LTM formation abolishes the LTM of the animal. Further, CRH-1e expression in RIM neurons is sufficient to rescue LTM defects of creblicrh-1-null mutants. We go on to show that apart from being LTM defective, creb1/crh-1-null animals show defects in innate chemotaxis behavior. We further characterize the amino acids K247 and K266 as responsible for the LTM related functions of CREB1/CRH-1 while being dispensable for its innate chemotaxis behavior. These findings provide insight into the spatial and temporal workings of a crucial transcription factor that can be further exploited to find CREB1 targets involved in the process of memory formation.