CAMK2A, CAMKA, KIAA0968, Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II subunit alpha, CaM kinase II subunit alpha, CaMK-II subunit alpha, CAMK2D, CAMKD, Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II subunit delta, CaM kinase II
The product of CAMK2A (calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II alpha) 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 CAMK2A.
