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Protein kinase C: Its role in activity-dependent purkinje cell dendritic development and plasticity

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Abstract

The cerebellum is a central organ in the control of motor learning and performance. In this respect, the cellular plasticity model systems of multiple climbing fiber elimination and long-term depression have been intensively studied. The signalling pathways involved in these plastic changes are now well understood on a molecular level and protein kinase C (PKC) activity appears to be crucially involved in both processes. Furthermore, as shown in recent studies, Purkinje cell dendritic development also critically depends on the activity of PKC. Thereby, the Ca2+-dependent PKC subtypes, activated by synaptic inputs through metabotropic glutamate receptors, trigger functional changes as well as long-term anatomical maturation of the Purkinje cell dendritic tree during cerebellar development at different time levels. This review summarizes these findings and forwards the hypothesis of a link between the functional mechanisms underlying LTD and the differentiation of Purkinje cell dendrites.

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  1. Department of Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Friedrich Metzger PhD

  2. Department of Anatomy, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Josef P. Kapfhammer

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Correspondence to Friedrich Metzger PhD.

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Metzger, F., Kapfhammer, J.P. Protein kinase C: Its role in activity-dependent purkinje cell dendritic development and plasticity. Cerebellum 2, 206–214 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1080/14734220310016150

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