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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Imaging Dendritic Spines in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: September 27, 2021
CaMKIIbeta functions as an F-actin targeting module that localizes CaMKIIalpha/beta heterooligomers to dendritic
K Shen1, M N Teruel, K Subramanian
1Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Abstract:
Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that regulates long-term potentiation and other forms of neuronal plasticity. Functional differences between the neuronal CaMKIIalpha and CaMKIIbeta isoforms are not yet known. Here, we use green fluorescent protein-tagged (GFP-tagged) CaMKII isoforms and show that CaMKIIbeta is bound to F-actin in dendritic spines and cell cortex while CaMKIIalpha is largely a cytosolic enzyme. When expressed together, the two isoforms form large heterooligomers, and a small fraction of CaMKIIbeta is sufficient to dock the predominant CaMKIIalpha to the actin cytoskeleton. Thus, CaMKIIbeta functions as a targeting module that localizes a much larger number of CaMKIIalpha isozymes to synaptic and cytoskeletal sites of action.
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