FIGURE 10.

Model of concerted regulation of NFATc3 by electrical activity and NGF in sensory neurons. Electrical stimulation (depolarization in this study) induces Ca²⁺ influx into the cell via voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels, which leads to CaN-dependent dephosphorylation of NFATc3 and initiation of its import into the nucleus. NGF facilitates NFATc3 activation and retention in the nucleus by stimulating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, which leads to phosphorylation-dependent inhibition of GSK3β and thereby to the slowing of NFATc3 export from the nucleus.