Learning and memory formation are critical processes of adaptation central to our everyday lives. Understanding the molecular nature of these processes might ultimately lead to effective therapies for certain neuropathologies such as Alzheimer's disease. The Davis laboratory recently identified a new Drosophila learning mutant called volado. volado mutants have a pronounced learning impairment due to mutation of a gene coding for a novel integrin alpha subunit, alpha-volado. Rescue experiments using an inducible promoter to drive expression of a volado mini-gene construct will determine if alpha-volado mediates developmental processes or events during learning in the adult. Co-immunolocalization, co- immunoprecipitation and expression cloning studies will identify associated integrin beta subunits. Behavioral studies on integrin beta subunit mutants and genetic interaction analyses will determine which of the putative alpha-beta dimers participate in learning. These studies will enhance our understanding of learning and memory formation by identifying and characterizing integrins that are involved in these adaptive processes.
