βCaMKII controls the direction of plasticity at parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapses

GM van Woerden, FE Hoebeek, Z Gao… - Nature …, 2009 - nature.com
GM van Woerden, FE Hoebeek, Z Gao, RY Nagaraja, CC Hoogenraad, SA Kushner…
Nature neuroscience, 2009nature.com
We found that βCaMKII, the predominant CaMKII isoform of the cerebellum, is important for
controlling the direction of plasticity at the parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapse; a protocol that
induced synaptic depression in wild-type mice resulted in synaptic potentiation in Camk2b
knockout mice and vice versa. These findings provide us with unique experimental insight
into the mechanisms that transduce graded calcium signals into either synaptic depression
or potentiation.
Abstract
We found that βCaMKII, the predominant CaMKII isoform of the cerebellum, is important for controlling the direction of plasticity at the parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapse; a protocol that induced synaptic depression in wild-type mice resulted in synaptic potentiation in Camk2b knockout mice and vice versa. These findings provide us with unique experimental insight into the mechanisms that transduce graded calcium signals into either synaptic depression or potentiation.
nature.com