On the identity of the major postsynaptic density protein

Increasing evidence suggests that the postsynaptic density (PSD) plays a critical role in synaptic communication and plasticity. The major PSD protein (mPSDp), a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, appears to be central to PSD function. The mPSDp has long been considered identical to the alpha subunit of the soluble calmodulin kinase II (alpha-CKII). However, mPSDp and alpha-CKII do differ in solubility and antigenicity, raising the possibility that the two proteins are distinct. To further define the relationship between the two proteins, we purified the mPSDp to homogeneity from adult rat cerebral cortex and compared the proteins. In contrast to alpha-CKII, the purified mPSDp was insoluble in high concentrations of salt, various detergents, chelators of divalent cations, and the strong denaturant guanidine hydrochloride. The pI value of the mPSDp was 6.2, whereas that of alpha-CKII was 6.7-7.2. The purified mPSDp bound calmodulin in the presence of Ca2+ and was autophosphorylated in a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent manner. Polyclonal antiserum raised against mPSDp (anti-mPSDp) recognized purified mPSDp or mPSDp in synaptic membrane, indicating immunologic specificity among the synaptic proteins. Anti-mPSDp did not recognize alpha-CKII, whereas anti-alpha-CKII antibodies reacted only weakly with mPSDp, suggesting that the proteins are distinct but structurally similar. Moreover, sequence analysis of protease V8-digested polypeptides revealed that there was at least an 8-amino acid sequence, MLKVPNIS, that is not present in alpha-CKII. Finally, HPLC analysis of V8-digested fragments of mPSDp and alpha-CKII in parallel revealed dissimilar peptide patterns. Thus our observations suggest that mPSDp and alpha-CKII are similar but not identical. The unique physicochemical and structural properties of the mPSDp may provide insights into molecular mechanisms mediating synaptic plasticity.