The role of D14-3-3e in sensory stimulus perception. E. Skoulakis , S. Acevedo. Department of Biology, Program in Genetics and Faculty of Neuroscience. Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843.

   The 14-3-3 proteins are small acidic cytosolic proteins abundant in the nervous system with putative functions in regulation of exocytosis, and activity modulation of multiple kinases. Drosophila contain two 14-3-3 encoding genes, D14-3-3 z or LEONARDO a protein essential for behavioral and physiological neuroplasticity and D14-3-3 e, a protein with unknown behavioral roles. Because D14-3-3 e and LEONARDO heterodimerize, we investigated the role of D14-3-3 e in behavioral neuroplasticity. Though D14-3-3 e mutants do not exhibit defects in olfaction and mechanosensation, they fail olfactory conditioning. Our results indicate that the dramatic immediate memory deficit of D14-3-3 e homozygotes is largely due to sensory desensitization, irrespective of the properties of the stimuli. Therefore, D14-3-3 e mutants represent a new class of behavioral mutants that affect stimulus perception in Drosophila.