The multiple faces of calcineurin signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans: Development, behaviour and aging.
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Date
2013-06
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Abstract
Calcineurin, a well-conserved protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B), is a Ca2+-calmodulin–dependent serine/threonine protein
phosphatase that is known to be involved in a myriad of cellular processes and signal transduction pathways. The biological
role of calcineurin has been extensively studied in diverse groups of organisms. Homologues of mammalian and
Drosophila calcineurin subunits exist in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. The C. elegans counterpart of the catalytic
subunit, calcineurin A, cna-1/tax-6, and the regulatory subunit, calcineurin B, cnb-1, are known to express ubiquitously in
multiple tissues including neurons. The characterization of C. elegans calcineurin mutants facilitates identification of its
physiological functions and signaling pathways. Genetic interactions between cna-1/tax-6 and cnb-1 mutants with a
number of mutants involved in several signaling pathways have exemplified the pivotal role of calcineurin in regulating
nematode development, behaviour and lifespan (aging). The present review has been aimed to provide a succinct summary
of the multiple functions of calcineurin in C. elegans relating to its development, fertility, proliferation, behaviour and
lifespan. Analyses of cna-1/tax-6 and cnb-1 interacting proteins and regulators of the phosphatase in this fascinating worm
model have an immense scope to identify potential drug targets in various parasitic nematodes, which cause many diseases
inflicting huge economic loss; and also for many human diseases, particularly neurodegenerative and myocardial diseases.
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Keywords
Aging, behaviour, Caenorhabditis elegans, calcineurin, development
Citation
Lee Jin Il, Mukherjee Sutapa, Yoon Kyoung–Hye, Dwivedi Meenakshi, Bandyopadhyay Jaya. The multiple faces of calcineurin signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans: Development, behaviour and aging. Journal of Biosciences. 2013 June; 38(2): 417-431.