Temporal and regional regulation of gene expression by calcium-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity during fear memory

Mice with the two calcium-stmulated adenylyl cyclase isoforms (AC1 and AC8; DKO mice) knocked-out show conditioned fear memory deficits. We assessed gene expression changes at baseline and several time points after conditioned fear learning to assess transcriptional changes at different stages of learning. Transcriptional changes were assessed in the amydgdala and hippocampus of DKO and wild-type mice. Mice either received no treatment (baseline) or were subjected to conditioned fear training (one 0.7mA x 2 sec shock). Amygdala and hippocampal tissue from wild-type and DKO (AC1 and AC8 KO) mice was used. Samples were extracted at baseline (-5 min before conditioned fear training), 0 hr, 1 hr, or 48 hr after a 5 min conditioned fear training trial, or at 1 wk after a 5 min conditioned fear testing trial. RNA samples from 5-10 mice were pooled per array with one array per genotype/brain region/time point for a total of 20 arrays. mRNA was reverese transcribed, labeled and hybridized to Affymetric Mouse Gene ST 1.0 Arrays.