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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Quantifying Subcellular Ubiquitin-proteasome Activity in the Rodent Brain
Published on: May 21, 2019
AlphaCaMKII autophosphorylation contributes to rapid learning but is not necessary for memory
Elaine E Irvine1, Jeffrey Vernon, K Peter Giese
1Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
Abstract:
Autophosphorylation of alpha calcium-calmodulin-dependent kinase II (alphaCaMKII) has been proposed to be the key event in memory storage. We tested this hypothesis with autophosphorylation-deficient mutant mice in hippocampus- and amygdala-dependent learning and memory tasks and found that the autophosphorylation of alphaCaMKII was required for rapid learning but was not essential for memory. We conclude that alphaCaMKII autophosphorylation contributes to single-trial learning but is dispensable for memory.
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