In situ hybridization histochemistry and immunocytochemistry were used to study localization and activity-dependent regulation of alpha, beta, gamma, and delta isoforms of type II calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMKII) and their mRNAs in areas 17 and 18 of normal and monocularly deprived adult macaques. CaMKII-alpha is expressed overall at levels three to four times higher than th...

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is concentrated in the postsynaptic density (PSD) and plays an important role in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). Because this kinase is persistently activated after the induction, its activity could also be important for LTP maintenance. Experimental tests of this hypothesis, however, have given conflicting results. In this ...

Ca(2+)/CaM serine/threonine kinase II (CaMKII) is a central molecule in mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and memory. A vital feature of CaMKII in plasticity is its ability to switch to a calcium (Ca(2+)) independent constitutively active state after autophosphorylation at threonine 287 (T287). A second pair of sites, T306 T307 in the calmodulin (CaM) binding region once autophosphorylated, pre...

Binding of the Ca2+/calmodulin(CaM)-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) to the NMDA-type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluN2B controls long-term potentiation (LTP), a form of synaptic plasticity thought to underlie learning and memory. Regulation of this interaction is well-studied biochemically, but not under conditions that mimic the macromolecular crowding found within cells. Notably, ...

Calcium/calmodulin-stimulated protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a multi-functional kinase that controls a range of cellular functions, including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The biological properties of CaMKII are regulated by multi-site phosphorylation. However, the role that CaMKII phosphorylation plays in cancer cell metastasis has not been examined. We demonstrate herein that C...

Caffeine has been shown to increase the Ca(2+) release frequency (Ca(2+) sparks) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) through ryanodine-sensitive stores and relax gastric fundus smooth muscle. Increased Ca(2+) store refilling increases the frequency of Ca(2+) release events and store refilling is enhanced by CaM kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLB). These findings suggest t...

Oxidation of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (ox-CaMKII) by ROS has been associated with asthma. However, the contribution of ox-CaMKII to the development of asthma remains to be fully characterized. Here, we tested the effect of ox-CaMKII on IgE-mediated mast cell activation in an allergen-induced mouse model of asthma using oxidant-resistant CaMKII MMVVδ knockin (MMVVδ) mice. Compared ...

Post-translational modification of membrane proteins (e.g., ion channels, receptors) by protein kinases is an essential mechanism for control of excitable cell function. Importantly, loss of temporal and/or spatial control of ion channel post-translational modification is common in congenital and acquired forms of cardiac disease and arrhythmia. The multifunctional Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent p...

Phosphorylation at serine 235 (S235) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) plays a critical role in the viral life cycle. For medical and virological interests, we exploited the HEK293T kidney cells to test 3 candidate protein kinases on NS5A S235 phosphorylation. Inhibitors that inhibit casein kinase I α (CKIα), polo-like kinase I (PlKI) or calmodulin-dependent kinase...

It is well known that skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) contains a Cacalmodulin (CaM) dependent protein kinase (CaMKII) system. In the last twenty years, much experimental work has clarified the biochemical-functional properties of this kinase system. SR-bound CaMKII is formed by the holoenzyme and by anchoring proteins, called αKAP. The holoenzyme is composed by a muscle specific for...