Dorris Neuroscience Center, Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037-1000, USA.
Learn Mem. 2012 Aug 16;19(9):375-84. doi: 10.1101/lm.027201.112.
Major brain functions depend on neuronal processes that favor the plasticity of neuronal circuits while at the same time maintaining their stability. The mechanisms that regulate brain plasticity are complex and engage multiple cascades of molecular components that modulate synaptic efficacy. Protein kinases (PKs) and phosphatases (PPs) are among the most important of these components that act as positive and negative regulators of neuronal signaling and plasticity, respectively. In these cascades, the PP protein phosphatase 2B or calcineurin (CaN) is of particular interest because it is the only Ca(2+)-activated PP in the brain and a major regulator of key proteins essential for synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability. This review describes the primary properties of CaN and illustrates its functions and modes of action by focusing on several representative targets, in particular glutamate receptors, striatal enriched protein phosphatase (STEP), and neuromodulin (GAP43), and their functional significance for synaptic plasticity and memory.
主要的大脑功能依赖于神经元过程，这些过程有利于神经元回路的可塑性，同时保持其稳定性。调节大脑可塑性的机制很复杂，涉及多个分子成分级联，这些成分调节突触效能。蛋白激酶（PKs）和磷酸酶（PPs）是最重要的成分之一，它们分别作为神经元信号和可塑性的正、负调节剂。在这些级联中，PP 蛋白磷酸酶 2B 或钙调神经磷酸酶（CaN）特别引人注目，因为它是大脑中唯一的 Ca(2+)-激活的 PP，也是对关键蛋白的主要调节者，这些蛋白对于突触传递和神经元兴奋性至关重要。本文通过聚焦几个有代表性的靶标，特别是谷氨酸受体、纹状体丰富的蛋白磷酸酶（STEP）和神经调节素（GAP43），描述了 CaN 的主要特性，并说明了其功能和作用模式，及其对突触可塑性和记忆的功能意义。
