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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Cell Neurosci. 2009 Oct 20;43(1):146. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2009.10.005

Fig. 6. Regulation of dendritic spine development by miR132.

Fig. 6

Increased synaptic activity stimulates glutamate release which, in turn, activates NMDA receptors. Ca2+ influx through the NMDAR activates CaMKII, CaMKK and CaMKIγ. CaMKIγ activates the MEK/Erk pathway to stimulate CREB-dependent synthesis of miR132. miR132 suppresses translation of p250GAP and CaMKII directly phosphorylates and inhibits p250GAP thereby releasing inhibition of Rac1. In the presence of Kalirin-7, Rac1 is activated and subsequently activates Pak to drive local actin polymerization and spine formation.