Nuclear and axonal localization of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type Gr in rat cerebellar cortex.

The granule cell-enriched Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase-Gr) is a recently discovered neuron-specific enzyme. The kinase avidly phosphorylates synapsin I and contains a polyglutamate sequence, which suggests an association with chromatin as well. A possible role in synapsin I phosphorylation and in nuclear Ca2+ signaling was supported by immunochemical and ultrastructural examination of CaM kinase-Gr distribution. CaM kinase-Gr immunoreactivity was present in the molecular and granule cell layers of the rat cerebellum. This pattern corresponded to the occurrence of the enzyme in the granule cell axons and nuclei, respectively. Immunoblots confirmed these findings. Thus, CaM kinase-Gr may mediate and coordinate Ca2(+)-signaling within different subcellular compartments.