Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
M
OLECULAR
M
ECHANISMS OF
L
EARNING
AND
M
EMORY
B
ASED ON
R
ESEARCH ON
C
A
2+/C
ALMODULIN
-D
EPENDENT
P
ROTEIN
K
INASE
II
Takashi Yamauchi
*
and Hiroko Sugiura
Department of Neuropharmacology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neurosciences
A
BSTRACT
In the central nervous system (CNS), changes in the efficiency of synaptic
transmission are important for a number of aspects of neural function. Much has been
learned about the activity-dependent synaptic modifications, namely synaptic plasticity,
that are thought to underlie memory storage, but these modifications are largely unknown
at the molecular level.It is important to find and characterize the “memory molecules”,
and “memory apparatus or memory forming apparatus” in the brain. One of the best
candidates for a molecular component of the memory apparatus is Ca
2+
/calmodulin-
dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). The postsynaptic density (PSD) is also a good
candidate for a body of the memory apparatus.
CaMKII is one of the most prominent protein kinases, and plays a multifunctional
role in many intracellular events. CaMKII activity is regulated by autophosphorylation. It
is present in essentially every tissue but most concentrated in the brain. Neuronal
CaMKII is present in both presynapses and postsynapses, and is also the major
component of the PSD. The PSD serves as a general organizer of the postsynaptic signal
transduction machinery, which links regulatory molecules to their targets. Dysfunction of
CaMKII may relate to neuronal disorders.
This review covers the molecular basis of learning and memory taking into
consideration research on CaMKII, a major component of neurons.
* Address: Musashidai 2-6, Fuchu-City, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan. Email: yamauchi@tmin.ac.jp
