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Changes in Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity and its relation to performance in passive
T Kaitsuka1, K Fukunaga, F Soeda
1Department of Environmental and Molecular Health Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 5-1 Oe-honmachi, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan.
Abstract:
We investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES), an endocrine disrupter on learning behavior and synaptic functions. Specifically, we determined the activity of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and related kinases that play an essential role in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus in mice that were prenatally exposed to DES. Treatment with DES resulted in increased CaMKII autophosphorylation and Ca(2+)-independent activity in the hippocampus and cortex of male mice. Impaired passive avoidance correlated with this increased CaMKII autophosphorylation, as did the enhanced early phase of LTP (E-LTP) in hippocampus. These data suggest that prenatal exposure to DES induces deficits in passive avoidance responses as a result of increased CaMKII activity and hippocampal LTP.
