N-COPINE - A NOVEL 2 C2-DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN WITH NEURONAL ACTIVITY-REGULATED EXPRESSION

Neuronal activity is often associated with changes in gene expression. By a two-dimensional cDNA-display system, restriction landmark cDNA s canning, we identified a novel gene whose expression in the hippocampu s was up-regulated by kainate stimulation. The mRNA expression was det ected only in brain and up-regulated by the stimulation making CA3-CA1 long-term potentiation. The encoded protein contains two copies of C2 -domain, known as the Ca2+-binding domain of PKC-gamma and shows 49% i dentity with human copine I. We designated this protein N-copine (neur onal-copine), N-copine may have a role in synaptic plasticity. (C) 199 8 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.