Ca2+/CaM binding to CaMKI promotes IMA-3 importin binding and nuclear translocation in sensory neurons to control behavioral adaptation.

ABSTRACT: Sensory and behavioral plasticity are essential for animals to thrive in changing environments. As key effectors of intracellular calcium signaling, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs) can bridge neural activation with the many regulatory processes needed to orchestrate sensory adaptation, including by relaying signals to the nucleus. Here, we elucidate the molecular mechanism controlling the cell activation-dependent nuclear translocation of CMK-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of mammalian CaMKI/IV, in thermosensory neurons in vivo. We show that an intracellular Ca2+ concentration elevation is necessary and sufficient to favor CMK-1 nuclear import. The binding of Ca2+/CaM to CMK-1 increases its affinity for IMA-3 importin, causing a redistribution with a relatively sl

SUBMITTER: Ippolito D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8635976 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature