αCaMKII autophosphorylation mediates neuronal activation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus after alcohol and cocaine in mice

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2015-03, Vol.591, p.65-68
• Main Authors: Schöpf, Isabella, Easton, Alanna C., Solati, Jalal, Golub, Yulia, Kornhuber, Johannes, Giese, K. Peter, Müller, Christian P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; C-fos; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 - metabolism; Cocaine - pharmacology; Dentate Gyrus - drug effects; Dentate Gyrus - metabolism; Ethanol - pharmacology; Female; Hippocampus; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Mice; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - metabolism; αcaMKIIT286A
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.02.031

•αCaMKII is invoved in the establishment of drug addiction.•Alcohol and cocaine increase c-fos expression in the dentate gyrus of mice.•No increase in c-fos expression in αCaMKII autophosphorylation deficient mice. Psychoactive drug-induced cellular activation is a key mechanism to promote neuronal plasticity and addiction. Alpha Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (αCaMKII) and its autophosphorylation play a key role in the development of drug use associated behaviours. It has been suggested that αCaMKII autophosphorylation is necessary for drug-induced neuronal activation in the mesolimbic system. Here, we show an alcohol- and cocaine-induced increase in c-fos expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, which is absent in αCaMKIIT286A autophosphorylation deficient mice. These findings may suggest a role in hippocampal αCaMKII autophosphorylation in the acute neuroplastic effects of alcohol and cocaine.