Glial vesicular transmitter release is not critical for courtship conditioning memory in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Glial cell function is believed to be critical for the regulation of cognitive processes such as learning and memory but the mechanisms by which glia regulate memory are still poorly elucidated. There is evidence that glial metabolic support and neurotransmitter synaptic clearance are essential for memory processes. But glial cells can also influence neuronal activity by the vesicular release of gliotransmitters in a calcium-dependent manner. Whether gliotransmission also is critical for memory process remains controversial. Here, we explored the role of gliotransmission in Drosophila courtship memory using the thermo-sensitive Shibirets mutant in combination with the UAS/Gal4 expression system, in which glial vesicular transmitter release can be rapid and reversibly impaired. We found that the formation, maintenance and decline of courtship memory were unaffected by the blockade of vesicular release of gliotransmitters. Therefore, our data support the view that the release of gliotransmitters is not an ubiquitously necessary regulatory mechanism of memory and forgetting processes.