D-030
A predator-based weak training protocol in Drosophila melanogaster for testing NAT10 inhibition in memory consolidation
Melina Sol Alvarez1, Lia Frenkel2, Ramiro Freudenthal1
  1. Laboratorio de Plasticidad Sináptica y Memoria, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología traslacional (IB3), UBA-CONICET, FCEN, UBA, CABA, Argentina.
  2. Laboratorio de Neurociencias del Tiempo, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología traslacional (IB3), UBA-CONICET, FCEN, UBA, CABA, Argentina.
Presenting Author:
Melina Sol Alvarez
melinasol.alvarez@gmail.com
Memory consolidation requires protein synthesis and cytoskeletal remodeling, processes in which the acetyltransferase NAT10 plays a dual role by acetylating both microtubules and mRNA. Pharmacological inhibition of NAT10 with Remodelin has been shown to prevent neurodegeneration in tauopathy models, but its potential impact on memory remains unknown. We hypothesize that NAT10 inhibition can enhance long-term memory persistence. To establish a framework for testing this hypothesis, we developed a weak training protocol in Drosophila melanogaster whitew1118 flies using the jumping spider Menemerus semilimbatus as a natural threat. Memory retention was evaluated 24 hours post-training by quantifying flies’s movement. Preliminary results show that weak training fails to induce long-term memory retention, in contrast to strong training protocols. This result provides the conditions under which future experiments will test whether NAT10 inhibition can rescue or enhance memory persistence in pathological models.