Nuclear and Axonal Localization of Ca(2+)/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein KinaseType Gr in Rat Cerebellar Cortex

摘要

The granule cell enriched Ca(2+)/calmodulin dependent protein kinase (Cam kinase-Gr) may serve as a calcium activated switch involved in neuronal communication. To investigate its potential sites of action the authors characterized its subcellular distribution within the cerebellum by immunochemistry and electron microscopy. Enzyme immunoreactivity is prominent in the nuclei of granule cells where it is preferentially associated with regions of dispersed chromatin. Cam kinase-Gr is also evident in the axons of granule cells and present to a lesser extent in the cytoplasm and dendrites of these neurons. Based on its subcellular distribution, Cam kinase-Gr provides particular neuronal populations with a coordinated CA(2+)-signalling pathway which may regulate several aspects of neuronal function.