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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2009 Jun 18;19(3):298–304. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2009.05.010

Figure 2. Epigenetic remodeling of chromatin can enable ocular dominance plasticity through an ERK-mediated cascade.

Figure 2

Visual experience (light) can activate ERK and its downstream neural targets, MSK and CREB. CREB-mediated transcription is normally modest, due to a tight chromatin conformation. A histone remodeling complex can open the chromatin conformation through phosphorylation and acetylation of histone H3, thereby increasing the rate of CREB-mediated transcription of plasticity genes. Activation of plasticity gene expression contributes to the ocular dominance plasticity in the visual cortex. LGN: lateral geniculate nucleus; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; ERK: extracellular signal-regulated kinase; MSK: mitogen-and stress-activated kinase; CREB: cAMP-response element binding protein; HRC: histone remodeling complex; P: phospho group; Ac: acetyl group; H: histone octamer.