A central theme in nervous system function is equilibrium: synaptic strengths wax and wane, neuronal firing rates adjust up and down, and neural circuits balance excitation with inhibition. This push/pull regulatory theme carries through to the molecular level at excitatory synapses, where protein function is controlled through phosphorylation and dephosphorylation by kinases and phosphatases. However, these opposing enzymatic activities are only part of the equation as scaffolding interactions and assembly of multi-protein complexes are further required for efficient, localized synaptic signaling. This review will focus on coordination of postsynaptic serine/threonine kinase and phosphatase signaling by scaffold proteins during synaptic plasticity.
Keywords: A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP); Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII); calcineurin; calcium channel; excitation-transcription coupling; glutamate receptor; phosphoprotein phosphatase 1 (PP1); protein kinase A (PKA); scaffold protein; synaptic plasticity.
© 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.