Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.

Ca2+ signaling is the hub of these biochemical mechanisms. We are currently assessing the decoding of Ca2+ signals into integrated biological responses through the third messenger molecule calmodulin. Calmodulin binds four Ca2+ ions.  Through conformational changes, Ca/calmodulin binds to and activates a variety of effector molecules, including enzymes such as protein kinases and phosphatases. One of our major focuses is the kinetics of calmodulin binding to the family of calmodulin-dependent enzymes.  Fluorescent reagents permit us to measure the association and dissociation kinetics of calmodulin with target enzymes using steady-state and stopped-flow fluorescence techniques.

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