The product of this gene belongs to the serine/threonine protein kinases family, and to the Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases subfamily. Calcium signaling is crucial for several aspects of plasticity at glutamatergic synapses. This calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase is composed of four different chains: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. The alpha chain encoded by this gene is required for hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and spatial learning. In addition to its calcium-calmodulin (CaM)-dependent activity, this protein can undergo autophosphorylation, resulting in CaM-independent activity. Two transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been identified for this gene. [provided by RefSeq
Other Designations:
CaM kinase II alpha subunit,CaM-kinase II alpha chain,CaMK-II alpha subunit,CaMKIINalpha,OTTHUMP00000165787,OTTHUMP00000165788,calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) II alpha,calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II alpha-B subunit