Xiao-Fang Li, Lech Kiedrowski, François Tremblay, Fernando R Fernandez, Marco Perizzolo, Robert J Winkfein, Ray W Turner, Jaideep S Bains, Derrick E Rancourt, Jonathan Lytton
Plasma membrane Na+/Ca2+-exchangers play a predominant role in Ca2+ extrusion in brain. Neurons express several different Na+/Ca2+-exchangers belonging to both the K+-independent NCX family and the K+-dependent NCKX family. The unique contributions of each of these proteins to neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis and/or physiology remain largely unexplored. To address this question, we generated mice in which the gene encoding the abundant neuronal K+ -dependent Na+/Ca2+-exchanger protein, NCKX2, was knocked out. Analysis of these animals revealed a significant reduction in Ca2+ flux in cortical neurons, a profound loss of long term potentiation and an increase in long term depression at hippocampal Schaffer/CA1 synapses, and clear deficits in specific tests of motor learning and spatial working memory...
March 10, 2006: Journal of Biological Chemistry