Neuronal Ca2+ signaling via caldendrin and calneurons

Biochim Biophys Acta. 2006 Nov;1763(11):1229-37. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2006.08.047. Epub 2006 Sep 6.

Abstract

The calcium sensor protein caldendrin is abundantly expressed in neurons and is thought to play an important role in different aspects of synapto-dendritic Ca2+ signaling. Caldendrin is highly abundant in the postsynaptic density of a subset of excitatory synapses in brain and its distinct localization raises several decisive questions about its function. Previous work suggests that caldendrin is tightly associated with Ca2+ - and Ca2+ release channels and might be involved in different aspects of the organization of the postsynaptic scaffold as well as with synapse-to-nucleus communication. In this report we introduce two new EF-hand calcium sensor proteins termed calneurons that apart from calmodulin represent the closest homologues of caldendrin in brain. Calneurons have a different EF-hand organization than other calcium sensor proteins, are prominently expressed in neurons and will presumably bind Ca2+ with higher affinity than caldendrin. Despite some significant structural differences it is conceivable that they are involved in similar Ca2+ regulated processes like caldendrin and neuronal calcium sensor proteins.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Calcium Signaling*
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / analysis
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / chemistry
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neurons / metabolism*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Rats

Substances

  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • calneuron I, rat
  • calneuron II, rat
  • Ca2+-binding protein-1