Ras protein controls two types of long-term memory in fruit flies

The Ras→Raf→ROCK pathway in mushroom body neurons suppresses anesthesia-resistant memory consolidation, allowing for the formation of long-term memories.

• Inhibition of the ROCK pathway enhances anesthesia-resistant memory (ARM) but impairs long-term memory (LTM).
• Postacquisition Ras activity negatively affects memory performance when increased optogenetically.
• Knockdown of Ras leads to enhanced memory expression through increased ARM but eliminates protein synthesis-dependent LTM.
• The effects observed are mediated by the downstream kinase Raf, while canonical extracellular signal-regulated kinase does not replicate these outcomes.
• Constitutively active ROCK enhances ARM and inhibits long-term memory formation, indicating its critical role in memory processes.

Simplified