β-Tubulin mRNA expression profiles during long-term memory formation in classically conditioned C. elegans

Abstract

We report on the mRNA expression profiles of β-tubulin genes in Caenorhabditis elegans during the process of classical conditioning, a type of associative learning. In this research, based on the model that suggests the formation of new synaptic connections for long-term memory storage by means of cytoskeletal rearrangement, we measure the expressional changes on the β-tubulin mRNA levels via quantitative real-time PCR. Using this method, we find that β-tubulin mRNA levels do not significantly change in C. elegans during classical conditioning and long-term memory formation process.