CaM Kinase

Calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaMK) are a family of serine/threonine kinases that mediate many of the second messenger effects of Ca²⁺. At basal Ca²⁺ levels, CaMKs are maintained in a dormant state through autoinhibition. Increases in Ca²⁺ levels allows calmodulin to relieve this autoinhibition and activate the kinase activity.

There are two main classes of CaMKs; mulitfunctional CaMKs (CaMKK, CaMKI, CaMKII and CaMKIV) which have multiple downstream targets and substrate-specific CaMKs (CaMKIII) which have only one known downstream target. All CaMKs, with the exception of CaMKII, exist as monomers and most are expressed ubiquitously. Some subtypes display specific distributions, for example, CaMKIVβ is expressed exclusively in cerebellar granule cells. CaMKs have numerous cellular functions and they influence processes as diverse as gene transcription, cell survival, apoptosis, cytoskeletal re-organization and learning and memory.

External sources of pharmacological information for CaM Kinase :

• IUPHAR Receptor Code

• BJP Guide

Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase Gene Data