Superoxide has been shown to be critical for hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and hippocampus-dependent memory function. A possible source for the generation of superoxide during these processes is NADPH oxidase. The active oxidase consists of two membrane proteins, gp91phox and p22phox, and four cytosolic proteins, p40phox, p47phox, p67phox, and Rac.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein kinase cascades likely play a critical role in the signaling events that underlie synaptic plasticity and memory. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade is suited well for such a role because its targets include regulators of gene expression. Here we report that the ERK cascade is recruited during long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic strength in area CA1 of the adult hippocampus in vivo and selectively impacts on phosphorylation of the nuclear transcription factor Elk-1.
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