title: Calcium signals control Wnt-dependent dendrite growth.
abstract: Activity-dependent dendritic growth is dependent upon intracellular calcium signaling. Yet the specific mechanisms by which calcium signals lead to morphologic changes in dendrites are not well understood. A paper in this issue of Neuron by Wayman et al. describes a novel calcium-dependent signaling cascade linking neuronal activity and calcium influx to expression of Wnt-2, a member of a family of proteins that controls elaboration of dendrites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Alvania
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ginty
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D003712:Dendrites / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D051154:Wnt2 Protein / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051154:Wnt2 Protein; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases