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TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ATF3-EXPRESSING NEURONAL ENSEMBLES INDUCED BY FEAR CONDITIONING
Sandra Parisiand 4 co-authors
VU-CNCR
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS02-07PM-053
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS02-07PM-053
Event Information
Poster Board
PS02-07PM-053
Poster
View posterAbstract
The encoding of new memories relies on learning-induced activation of sparse neuronal ensembles (engram cells) that undergo time-dependent waves of gene transcription and protein synthesis. They are typically identified by expression of Immediate Early Genes (IEGs), such as c-Fos and Npas4. We previously found that Activating Transcription Factor 3 (Atf3) is robustly upregulated in dentate gyrus (DG) engram cells after learning. However, little is known about its temporal expression profile after a behaviorally relevant stimulus, and whether it is co-expressed in c-Fos+ and/or Npas4+ ensembles in the DG. To address this, we investigated the profile of Atf3, Npas4 and c-Fos expression in the DG following contextual fear conditioning (CFC).
Wild-type mice remained in their home-cage or underwent CFC and were sacrificed at different timepoints after conditioning. Using immunofluorescence, we quantified cells expressing Atf3, Npas4 and c-Fos in the DG and measured the degree of overlap between these populations across timepoints.
In the DG, Atf3 is rapidly and transiently induced by CFC, and comprises a neuronal ensemble that partially overlaps with c-Fos+ and Npas4+ populations. Interestingly, almost 50% of the Atf3+ population did not co-express Npas4 or c-Fos. In contrast, of the Npas4⁺ and c-Fos+ populations, a large majority (~80%) also expressed Atf3 after CFC. Hence, our data indicate that, in addition to representing well-established DG subengrams, Atf3 is uniquely expressed in a distinct sparse ensemble, potentially pointing to a novel subengram within the DG.
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