Laminin activates CaMK-II to stabilize nascent embryonic axons.

In neurons, the interaction of laminin with its receptor, beta1 integrin, is accompanied by an increase in cytosolic Ca2+. Neuronal behavior is influenced by CaMK-II, the type II Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, which is enriched in axons of mouse embryonic neurons. In this study, we sought to determine whether CaMK-II is activated by laminin, and if so, how CaMK-II influences axonal growth and stability.