Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is considered one of the key intracellular signaling proteins for development of neuropathy. We analyzed the expression of total CaMKII (tCaMKII) and its alpha, beta, gamma and delta isoforms in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in a rat model of Diabetes mellitus type I (DM1), 6 months and 1 year after diabetes induction. Diabetes was induced wit...

CaMKs link transient increases in intracellular Ca(2+) with biological processes. In myeloid leukemia cells, CaMKII, activated by the bcr-abl oncogene, promotes cell proliferation. Inhibition of CaMKII activity restricts cell proliferation, and correlates with growth arrest and differentiation. The mechanism by which the inhibition of CaMKII results in growth arrest and differentiation in myelo...

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays a central role in pathological cardiac hypertrophy, but the mechanisms by which it modulates gene activity in the nucleus to mediate hypertrophic signaling remain unclear. Here, we report that nuclear CaMKII activates cardiac transcription by directly binding to chromatin and regulating the phosphorylation of histone H3 at serine-10....

Electrical synapses can undergo activity-dependent plasticity. The calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) appears to play a critical role in this phenomenon, but the underlying mechanisms of how CaMKII affects the neuronal gap junction protein connexin36 (Cx36) are unknown. Here we demonstrate effective binding of (35)S-labeled CaMKII to 2 juxtamembrane cytoplasmic domains of Cx36 and ...

Aging is associated to disrupted contractility and rhythmicity, among other cardiovascular alterations. Drosophila melanogaster shows a pattern of aging similar to human beings and recapitulates the arrhythmogenic conditions found in the human heart. Moreover, the kinase CaMKII has been characterized as an important regulator of heart function and an arrhythmogenic molecule that participate in ...

Domoic acid (DOM) is known to cause hippocampal neuronal damage and produces amnesic effects. We examined synaptic plasticity changes induced by DOM exposure in rat hippocampal CA1 region. Brief bath application of DOM to hippocampal slices produces a chemical form of long-term potentiation (LTP) of CA1 field synaptic potentials. The potentiation cannot be blocked by NMDA receptor antagonist MK...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIδ (CaMKIIδ) is an important regulator of cardiac contractile function and dysfunction and may be an unwanted secondary target for anti-cancer drugs such as sunitinib and imatinib that have been reported to alter cardiac performance. This study aimed to determine whether anti-cancer kinase inhibitors may affect CaMKII activity ...

Voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) are key elements in epileptogenesis. There are several binding-sites linked to calmodulin (CaM) and several potential CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-mediated phosphorylation sites in CaV1.2. The tremor rat model (TRM) exhibits absence-like seizures from 8 weeks of age. The present study was performed to detect changes in the Ca 2+ /CaV1.2/CaM...

Smoking is a widespread health problem. Because the nicotine withdrawal syndrome is a major contributor to continued smoking and relapse, it is important to understand the molecular and behavioral mechanisms of nicotine withdrawal to generate more effective smoking cessation therapies. Studies suggest a role for calcium-dependent mechanisms, such as L-type calcium channels and calcium/calmoduli...