Figure 1
From: Dnmts and Tet target memory-associated genes after appetitive olfactory training in honey bees
Dnmt inhibition impairs stimulus-specific memory.
(a) The percentage of bees responding to the odorant during the training and test is shown. Bees were trained with 6 trials of odour sugar pairings and treated 2 hours after the training with Dnmt inhibitors (RG108 or Zebularine), the solvent DMF or were left untreated. The training performance of the different treatment groups was not significantly different, but there was a significant effect of training trials (glm, factor training trial p < 0.001). 24 hours after the training CS + retention and the generalisation towards a new odour were assessed. Control bees (DMF and untreated) responded significantly more to the CS + than the new odorant during the test, showing stimulus-specific long-term memory (n = 28 in both groups; McNemar test p < 0.05). This ability was impaired in bees treated with Dnmt inhibitors (n = 28 (RG108), n = 30 (Zebularine); McNemar test p > 0.05). (b) From the responses to the CS + and the new odorant during the test the discrimination index was calculated for each individual. Bees treated with Dnmt inhibitors had an impaired discriminatory power compared to solvent treated control bees (glm compared to DMF: RG108 p = 0.042; Zebularine p = 0.102). All data is presented as the mean (+/– SEM). ( = p < 0.1; * = p < 0.05; ** = p < 0.01; *** = p < 0.001).
