Dataset Information

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by calmodulin with two bound calciums.

ABSTRACT: Changes in synaptic strength that underlie memory formation in the CNS are initiated by pulses of Ca2+ flowing through NMDA-type glutamate receptors into postsynaptic spines. Differences in the duration and size of the pulses determine whether a synapse is potentiated or depressed after repetitive synaptic activity. Calmodulin (CaM) is a major Ca2+ effector protein that binds up to four Ca2+ ions. CaM with bound Ca2+ can activate at least six signaling enzymes in the spine. In fluctuating cytosolic Ca2+, a large fraction of free CaM is bound to fewer than four Ca2+ ions. Binding to targets increases the affinity of CaM's remaining Ca2+-binding sites. Thus, initial binding of CaM to a target may depend on the target's affinity for CaM with only one or two bound Ca2+ ions. To study CaM-dependent signaling in the spine, we designed mutant CaMs that bind Ca2+ only at the two N-terminal or two C-terminal sites by using computationally designed mutations to stabilize the inactivated Ca2+-binding domains in the "closed" Ca2+-free conformation. We have measured their interactions with CaMKII, a major Ca2+/CaM target that mediates initiation of long-term potentiation. We show that CaM with two Ca2+ ions bound in its C-terminal lobe not only binds to CaMKII with low micromolar affinity but also partially activates kinase activity. Our results support the idea that competition for binding of CaM with two bound Ca2+ ions may influence significantly the outcome of local Ca2+ signaling in spines and, perhaps, in other signaling pathways.

SUBMITTER: Shifman JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1599897 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by calmodulin with two bound calciums.

Shifman Julia M JM Choi Mee H MH Mihalas Stefan S Mayo Stephen L SL Kennedy Mary B MB

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20060911 38

Changes in synaptic strength that underlie memory formation in the CNS are initiated by pulses of Ca2+ flowing through NMDA-type glutamate receptors into postsynaptic spines. Differences in the duration and size of the pulses determine whether a synapse is potentiated or depressed after repetitive synaptic activity. Calmodulin (CaM) is a major Ca2+ effector protein that binds up to four Ca2+ ions. CaM with bound Ca2+ can activate at least six signaling enzymes in the spine. In fluctuating cytoso ...[more]

PMID: 16966599

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Project description:During the acquisition of memories, influx of Ca2+ into the postsynaptic spine through the pores of activated N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptors triggers processes that change the strength of excitatory synapses. The pattern of Ca2+influx during the first few seconds of activity is interpreted within the Ca2+-dependent signaling network such that synaptic strength is eventually either potentiated or depressed. Many of the critical signaling enzymes that control synaptic plasticity,including Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), are regulated by calmodulin, a small protein that can bindup to 4 Ca2+ ions. As a first step toward clarifying how the Ca2+-signaling network decides between potentiation or depression, we have created a kinetic model of the interactions of Ca2+, calmodulin, and CaMKII that represents our best understanding of the dynamics of these interactions under conditions that resemble those in a postsynaptic spine. We constrained parameters of the model from data in the literature, or from our own measurements, and then predicted time courses of activation and autophosphorylation of CaMKII under a variety of conditions. Simulations showed that species of calmodulin with fewer than four bound Ca2+ play a significant role in activation of CaMKII in the physiological regime,supporting the notion that processing of Ca2+ signals in a spine involves competition among target enzymes for binding to unsaturated species of CaM in an environment in which the concentration of Ca2+ is fluctuating rapidly. Indeed, we showed that dependence of activation on the frequency of Ca2+ transients arises from the kinetics of interaction of fluctuating Ca2+with calmodulin/CaMKII complexes. We used parameter sensitivity analysis to identify which parameters will be most beneficial to measure more carefully to improve the accuracy of predictions. This model provides a quantitative base from which to build more complex dynamic models of postsynaptic signal transduction during learning.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:The main objective of this study is to define the mechanisms by which mitochondria control vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and impact neointimal hyperplasia. APPROACH AND RESULTS:The multifunctional CaMKII (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II) in the mitochondrial matrix of VSMC drove a feed-forward circuit with the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) to promote matrix Ca2+ influx. MCU was necessary for the activation of mitochondrial CaMKII (mtCaMKII), whereas mtCaMKII phosphorylated MCU at the regulatory site S92 that promotes Ca2+ entry. mtCaMKII was necessary and sufficient for platelet-derived growth factor-induced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. This effect was dependent on MCU. mtCaMKII and MCU inhibition abrogated VSMC migration and mitochondrial translocation to the leading edge. Overexpression of wild-type MCU, but not MCU S92A, mutant in MCU-/- VSMC rescued migration and mitochondrial mobility. Inhibition of microtubule, but not of actin assembly, blocked mitochondrial mobility. The outer mitochondrial membrane GTPase Miro-1 promotes mitochondrial mobility via microtubule transport but arrests it in subcellular domains of high Ca2+ concentrations. In Miro-1-/- VSMC, mitochondrial mobility and VSMC migration were abolished, and overexpression of mtCaMKII or a CaMKII inhibitory peptide in mitochondria (mtCaMKIIN) had no effect. Consistently, inhibition of mtCaMKII increased and prolonged cytosolic Ca2+ transients. mtCaMKII inhibition diminished phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and myosin light chain, leading to reduced focal adhesion turnover and cytoskeletal remodeling. In a transgenic model of selective mitochondrial CaMKII inhibition in VSMC, neointimal hyperplasia was significantly reduced after vascular injury. CONCLUSIONS:These findings identify mitochondrial CaMKII as a key regulator of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake via MCU, thereby controlling mitochondrial translocation and VSMC migration after vascular injury.

Dataset Information

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by calmodulin with two bound calciums.

Publications

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by calmodulin with two bound calciums.

Similar Datasets

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