Autophosphorylation of F-actin binding domain of CaMKIIβ is required for fear learning

Abstract CaMKII is a pivotal kinase that plays essential roles in synaptic plasticity. Apart from its signaling function, the structural function of CaMKII is becoming clear. CaMKII – F-actin interaction stabilizes actin cytoskeleton in a dendritic spine. A transient autophosphorylation at the F-actin binding region during LTP releases CaMKII from F-actin and opens a brief time-window of actin reorganization. However, the physiological relevance of this finding in learning and memory was not presented. Using a knock-in (KI) mouse carrying phosphoblock mutations in the actin-binding domain of CaMKIIβ, we demonstrate that proper regulation of CaMKII – F-actin interaction is important for fear conditioning memory tasks. The KI mice show poor performance in contextual and cued versions of fear conditioning test. These results suggest the importance of CaMKII – F-actin interactions in learning and memory.