Development of a monoclonal antibody specific for a calpain-generated ∆48 kDa calcineurin fragment, a marker of distressed astrocytes.

Background: Calcineurin (CN) is a Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase. In healthy tissue, CN exists mainly as a full-length (∼60 kDa) highly-regulated protein phosphatase involved in essential cellular functions. However, in diseased or injured tissue, CN is proteolytically converted to a constitutively active fragment that has been causatively-linked to numerous pathophysiologic processes.