Abstract 30: Inhibited CaMKII Activity Decreases Hippocampal Neuronal Damage in Both Normothermic and Mild Therapeutic Hypothermic CA/CPR Mouse Model

Introduction: Glutamate excitotoxicity is an important mechanism of ischemic neuronal damage, however inhibition of glutamate receptors has proven an unsuccessful strategy. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a major downstream target of glutamate signaling. The aim of this study is to examine the neuroprotective potential of inhibition of autonomous CaMKII activity using novel peptide inhibitors (tatCN21,19o) and transgenic mice.

Methods: C57BL/6 male wild-type (WT) and T286A mutant mice were subjected to 6 min of cardiac arrest and CPR. Mice were randomized to tatCN21 (1 mg/kg), tatCN19o (0.01,0.1,1 mg/kg) or control (tatSCR; 1 mg/kg), administered 30 min after CPR (iv). Separate experiments were performed to assess mild post-arrest hypothermia (rectal T = 34 ±0.2 °C for 1 hr after CPR). Hippocampal neuronal damage was analyzed 3 days after CA/CPR by H&E staining. Total CaMKII and Thr-286 phosphorylation levels were measured by western blot. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA and t tests, with P<0.05 considered significant.

Results: Analysis of histological damage 72 hrs after CA/CPR showed that tatCN21 significantly reduced neuronal injury; 28.9±5.6% (n=11) compared to 55.4±4.0% (n=8, P<0.05) in tatSCR-treated mice. Mild hypothermia decreased damage from 55.4±4.0% (n=8) to 31.9±10.5% (n=6, P<0.05), which could be further reduced by tatCN21, reducing to 7.2±4.0% (n=4, P<0.05). Interestingly, the more potent tatCN19o decreased neuronal damage at all doses tested, reducing damage to 23.6±10.8% (n=7, P<0.05) for 1 mg/kg, 25.8±8.8% (n=8, P<0.05) for 0.1 mg/kg and 10.9±3.7% (n=8, P<0.05) for 0.01 mg/kg. Western blot analysis showed that CA/CPR significantly increases p-T286 CaMKII 3 (4.5±0.31, n=4,) compared to sham controls (0.91±0.14, n=4, P<0.05). Finally, T286A mutant mice had less neuronal damage after CA/CPR (4.0 ± 0.9%, n=8) compared to WT mice (28.9 ± 10.9%, n=8; P<0.05), indicating a role for autonomous CaMKII activity in CA/CPR-induced neuronal injury.

Conclusions: The novel CaMKII inhibitors decrease neuronal damage under both normothermic and hypothermic condition following CA/CPR, indicating that inhibition of autonomous CaMKII activity is a promising new therapeutic approach.

Effects of CaMKII inhibitor tatCN21 on activity-dependent redistribution of CaMKII in hippocampal neurons

TatCN21 is a membrane permeable calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor derived from the inhibitor protein CaMKIIN. TatCN21 has been used to demonstrate the involvement of CaMKII in a variety of physiological and pathological phenomena, and it also limits excitotoxic damage in neurons. Here we use preembedding immunogold electron microscopy to examine the effect of tatCN21 on the redistribution of CaMKII in cultured hippocampal neurons. Incubation of cultures with tatCN21 (20 μM for 20 min) prior to exposure to N-methyl-d-asparic acid (NMDA) (50 μM for 2 min) inhibited both the accumulation of CaMKII at postsynaptic densities (PSDs) and CaMKII clustering in the dendrites. Under these conditions, CaMKII also formed morphologically distinct aggregates with polyribosomes near the PSD and in dendrites. Formation of these CaMKII-polyribosome aggregates requires the presence of both tatCN21 and calcium, and was augmented upon exposure to high K(+) or NMDA. CaMKII-polyribosome aggregates formed consistently with 20 μM tatCN21, but minimally or not at all with 5 μM. However, these aggregates are not induced by another CaMKII inhibitor, KN93. Formation of CaMKII-polyribosome aggregates was completely reversible within 1h after washout of tatCN21. Effects of tatCN21 were largely restricted to dendrites, with minimal effect in the soma. The effects of tatCN21 on CaMKII distribution can be used to dissect the mechanism of CaMKII involvement in cellular events.

Calmodulin-dependent kinase II mediates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and is potentiated by extracellular signal regulated kinase

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation contributes to vascular remodeling in atherosclerosis and hypertension. Calcium-dependent signaling through calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and ERK1/2 activation plays an important role in the regulation of VSMC proliferation by agents such as alpha-adrenergic receptor agonists. Nevertheless, how the CaMKII and ERK pathways interact in VSMCs has yet to be characterized. The aim of the present study was to clarify this interaction in response to alpha(1)-adrenergic receptor-mediated VSMC proliferation. We discovered that phenylephrine stimulation resulted in complex formation between CaMKII and ERK in a manner that facilitated phosphorylation of both protein kinases. To assess the effects of CaMKII/ERK association on VSMC proliferation, we inhibited endogenous CaMKII either pharmacologically or by adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of a kinase-inactive CaMKII mutant. Inhibition of CaMKII activation but not CaMKII autonomous activity significantly decreased formation of the CaMKII/ERK complex. On the contrary, the expression of constitutively active CaMKII enhanced VSMC growth and CaMKII/ERK association. In addressing the mechanism of this effect, we found that CaMKII could not directly phosphorylate ERK but instead enhanced Raf1 activation. By contrast, ERK interaction with CaMKII facilitated CaMKII phosphorylation and promoted its nuclear localization. Our results reveal a critical role for CaMKII in VSMC proliferation and imply that CaMKII facilitates assembly of the Raf/MEK/ERK complex and that ERK enhances CaMKII activation and influences its subcellular localization.

Regulation of signal transduction by protein targeting: the case for CaMKII

Protein targeting is increasingly being recognized as a mechanism to ensure speed and specificity of intracellular signal transduction in a variety of biological systems. Conceptually, this is of particular importance for second-messenger-regulated protein kinases with a broad spectrum of substrates, such as the serine/threonine protein kinases PKA, PKC, and CaMKII (cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, Ca(2+)-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II). The activating second messengers of these enzymes can be produced or released in response to a large variety of "upstream" signals, and they can, in turn, regulate a large variety of "downstream" proteins. Targeting, e.g., via anchoring proteins, can link certain incoming stimuli with specific outgoing signals by restricting the subcellular compartment at which activation and/or action of a signaling molecule can take place. Elegant research on PKA and PKC reinforced the biological importance of such mechanisms. We will focus here on CaMKII, as recent advances in the understanding of its targeting have some significant general implications for signal transduction. The interaction of CaMKII with the NMDA receptor, for instance, shows that a targeting protein can not only specify the subcellular localization of a signaling effector, but can also directly influence its regulation.

Interaction with the NMDA receptor locks CaMKII in an active conformation

Calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and glutamate receptors are integrally involved in forms of synaptic plasticity that may underlie learning and memory. In the simplest model for long-term potentiation, CaMKII is activated by Ca2+ influx through NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors and then potentiates synaptic efficacy by inducing synaptic insertion and increased single-channel conductance of AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid) receptors. Here we show that regulated CaMKII interaction with two sites on the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B provides a mechanism for the glutamate-induced translocation of the kinase to the synapse in hippocampal neurons. This interaction can lead to additional forms of potentiation by: facilitated CaMKII response to synaptic Ca2+; suppression of inhibitory autophosphorylation of CaMKII; and, most notably, direct generation of sustained Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-independent (autonomous) kinase activity by a mechanism that is independent of the phosphorylation state. Furthermore, the interaction leads to trapping of CaM that may reduce down-regulation of NMDA receptor activity. CaMKII-NR2B interaction may be prototypical for direct activation of a kinase by its targeting protein.

Developmental expression of the CaM kinase II isoforms: ubiquitous gamma- and delta-CaM kinase II are the early isoforms and most abundant in the developing nervous system

CaM kinase II constitutes a family of multifunctional protein kinases that play a major role in Ca2+-mediated signal transduction. As a first step in understanding their possible function in mouse development we characterized the expression patterns of all CaM kinase II isoforms (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) starting in prenatal development. Remarkably, only the ubiquitous gamma- and delta-CaM kinase II are expressed during early development. Their distribution suggests a special role in the developing nervous system and in mature excitable tissues. Additionally, we describe the murine betaM-CaM kinase II, a variant of the 'brain-specific' beta-CaM kinase II, which is highly expressed in skeletal muscle.

alphaKAP is an anchoring protein for a novel CaM kinase II isoform in skeletal muscle

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) is present in a membrane-bound form that phosphorylates synapsin I on neuronal synaptic vesicles and the ryanodine receptor at skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), but it is unclear how this soluble enzyme is targeted to membranes. We demonstrate that alphaKAP, a non-kinase protein encoded by a gene within the gene of alpha-CaM kinase II, can target the CaM kinase II holoenzyme to the SR membrane. Our results indicate that alphaKAP (i) is anchored to the membrane via its N-terminal hydrophobic domain, (ii) can co-assemble with catalytically competent CaM kinase II isoforms and target them to the membrane regardless of their state of activation, and (iii) is co-localized and associated with rat skeletal muscle CaM kinase II in vivo. alphaKAP is therefore the first demonstrated anchoring protein for CaM kinase II. CaM kinase II assembled with alphaKAP retains normal enzymatic activity and the ability to become Ca2+-independent following autophosphorylation. A new variant of beta-CaM kinase II, termed betaM-CaM kinase II, is one of the predominant CaM kinase II isoforms associated with alphaKAP in skeletal muscle SR.

An alternative, nonkinase product of the brain-specifically expressed Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II alpha isoform gene in skeletal muscle

The gene for the alpha isoform of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (alpha CaMKII) codes for a multifunctional protein kinase that is found exclusively in the brain. Here we show that in skeletal muscle, an alternative nonkinase product, hereafter referred to as alpha KAP (alpha CaMKII association protein), is expressed from the same gene. alpha KAP consists of a C-terminal region that is identical to the association domain of alpha CaMKII, with the exception of 11 amino acids inserted in the variable region. The N-terminal sequence of alpha KAP is highly hydrophobic and not present in any known CaMKII protein. The catalytic and regulatory domains of alpha CaMKII are missing in alpha KAP. Analysis of the exon-intron structure revealed that the alpha KAP transcript is derived from the alpha CaMKII gene by alternative promoter usage and RNA splicing. The transcriptional start site of alpha KAP mRNA is located within an intron of the alpha CaMKII gene. Therefore, the relationship between alpha KAP and alpha CaMKII is that of a gene within a gene. Immunostaining using anti-alpha KAP antibodies suggests that alpha KAP is associated with sarcomeres of skeletal muscle fibers. On the basis of its primary structure and specific location, the possible function of alpha KAP as an anchoring protein for CaMKII is discussed.

Interaction of several related GC-box- and GT-box-binding proteins with the intronic enhancer is required for differential expression of the gb110 gene in embryonal carcinoma cells

The molecular mechanisms by which expression of a gene is down-regulated after differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells into parietal endoderm-like cells was studied by characterizing the cis- and trans-regulatory elements of the gb110 gene. This gene encodes a putative RNA helicase, and its expression is down-regulated when F9 cells are differentiated with retinoic acid and cyclic AMP. The 5'-flanking region of the gene has all of the features of a GC-rich island promoter and seems to play only a minor role, if any, in the regulated expression. A 133-bp enhancer in the first intron was identified by transient chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays that activated expression in undifferentiated F9 cells about 50- to 100-fold. As this enhancer was not active in differentiated F9 cells, it seems to be the prime mediator of the differentiation-specific down-regulation of the gb110 gene. Four different protein-binding sites, three of which contain GC- and GT-box motifs, were identified in the enhancer element. The fourth site, interacting with previously described transcription factor FTZ-F1/ELP, seems to be of minor importance for the activity of the enhancer. Mutational analysis showed that the cooperative interaction of several most likely related proteins with the three GC- and GT-box motifs was required for full enhancer activity. On the basis of their binding properties, at least two of these proteins seem to be identical or closely related to ubiquitous transcription factor Sp1. One of the GT-box-binding proteins was present in undifferentiated F9 cells but not, however, in its differentiated derivatives. The cell specificity of this transcription factor explains why the gb110 gene is not expressed or expressed only at low levels in parietal endoderm-like cells.