Evolutionary-conserved role of the NF-kB transcription factor in neural plasticity and memory.

ARTURO ROMANO,; RAMIRO FREUDENTHAL,; EMILIANO MERLO,; ARYEH ROUTTENBERG,

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE

Blackwell Publishing

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2006 p. 1507 - 1516

0953-816X

NF-kB is an evolutionarily conserved family of transcription factors (TFs) critically involved in basic cellular mechanisms of the immune response, inflammation, development and apoptosis. In spite of the fact that it is expressed in the central nervous system, particularly in areas involved in memory processing and activated by signals such as glutamate and Ca2+, its role in neural plasticity and memory has only just recently become apparent. A surprising feature of this molecule is its presence within the synapse.  An increasing number of reports have called attention to the role of this TF in processes that require long-term regulation of synaptic function underlying memory and neural plasticity. Here we review such evidence which support a dual role of NF-kB, both as a signaling molecule after its activation at the synapse and as a transcriptional regulator upon reaching the nucleus. The specific role of this signal, as well as the general transcriptional mechanism, in the process of memory formation is discussed. Converging lines of evidence summarized here point to a pivotal role of the NF-kB transcription factor as a direct signaling mechanism to regulate gene expression involved in long-term memory.