title: CREB phosphorylation and dephosphorylation: a Ca(2+)- and stimulus duration-dependent switch for hippocampal gene expression.
abstract: While changes in gene expression are critical for many brain functions, including long-term memory, little is known about the cellular processes that mediate stimulus-transcription coupling at central synapses. In studying the signaling pathways by which synaptic inputs control the phosphorylation state of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) and determine expression of CRE-regulated genes, we found two important Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-regulated mechanisms in hippocampal neurons: a CaM kinase cascade involving nuclear CaMKIV and a calcineurin-dependent regulation of nuclear protein phosphatase 1 activity. Prolongation of the synaptic input on the time scale of minutes, in part by an activity-induced inactivation of calcineurin, greatly extends the period over which phospho-CREB levels are elevated, thus affecting induction of downstream genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305-5426, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bito
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deisseroth
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tsien
mesh_terms: D019703:Calcineurin; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000201:enzymology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019703:Calcineurin; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D002118:Calcium