Glucocorticoid-Regulated Kinase CAMKIγ in the Central Amygdala Controls Anxiety-like Behavior in Mice

The expression of the Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase I gamma (encoded by the Camk1g gene) depends on the activation of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and is strongly regulated by stress. Since Camk1g is primarily expressed in neuronal cells of the limbic system in the brain, we hypothesized that it could be involved in signaling mechanisms that underlie the adaptive or maladaptive responses to stress. Here, we find that restraint-induced stress and the GR agonist dexamethasone robustly increase the expression of Camk1g in neurons of the amygdalar nuclei in the mouse brain. To assess the functional role of Camk1g expression, we performed a virally induced knock-down of the transcript. Mice with bilateral amygdala-specific Camk1g knock-down showed increased anxiety-like behaviors in the light-dark box, and an increase in freezing behavior after fear-conditioning, but normal spatial working memory during exploration of a Y-maze. Thus, we confirm that Camk1g is a neuron-specific GR-regulated transcript, and show that it is specifically involved in behaviors related to anxiety, as well as responses conditioned by aversive stimuli.