Impaired learning and memory in CD38 null mutant mice

Somi Kim, TaeHyun Kim, Hye-Ryeon Lee, Eun-Hye Jang, Hyun-Hee Ryu, Minkyung Kang, So-Young Rah, Juyoun Yoo, Bolam Lee, Jae-Ick Kim, Chae Seok Lim, Sang Jeong Kim, Uh-Hyun Kim, Yong-Seok Lee, Bong-Kiun Kaang

CD38 is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of cyclic ADP ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate, both of which are involved in the mobilization of Ca(2+) from intracellular stores. Recently, CD38 has been shown to regulate oxytocin release from hypothalamic neurons. Importantly, CD38 mutations are associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and CD38 knockout (CD38(-/-)) mice display ASD-like behavioral phenotypes including deficient parental behavior and poor social recognition memory. Although ASD and learning deficits commonly co-occur, the role of CD38 in learning and memory has not been investigated. We report that CD38(-/-) mice show deficits in various learning and memory tasks such as the Morris water maze, contextual fear conditioning, and the object recognition test. However, either long-term potentiation or long-term depression is not impaired in the hippocampus of CD38(-/-) mice. Our results provide convincing evidence that CD38(-/-) mice show deficits in various learning and memory tasks including spatial and non-spatial memory tasks. Our data demonstrate that CD38 is critical for regulating hippocampus-dependent learning and memory without modulating synaptic plasticity.