Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Simultaneous Electrophysiological Recording and Calcium Imaging of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Neurons
Published on: December 8, 2013
Regulation of CBP-mediated transcription by neuronal calcium signaling
1Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Abstract:
The transcription factor CREB is involved in mediating many of the long-term effects of activity-dependent plasticity at glutamatergic synapses. Here, we show that activation of NMDA receptors and voltage-sensitive calcium channels leads to CREB-mediated transcription in cortical neurons via a mechanism regulated by CREB-binding protein (CBP). Recruitment of CBP to the promoter is not sufficient for transactivation, but calcium influx can induce CBP-mediated transcription via two distinct transactivation domains. CBP-mediated transcription is stimulus strength-dependent and can be induced by activation of CaM kinase II, CaM kinase IV, and protein kinase A, but not by activation of the Ras-MAP kinase pathway. These observations indicate that CBP can function as a calcium-sensitive transcriptional coactivator that may act as a regulatory switch for glutamate-induced CREB-mediated transcription.
Related Concept Videos
Co-activators and Co-repressors
Master Transcription Regulators
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...

