UC Davis

The synapse transmits, processes, and stores data within its tiny space. Effective and specific signaling requires precise alignment of the relevant components. This review examines current insights into mechanisms of AMPAR and NMDAR localization by PSD-95 and their spatial distribution at postsynaptic sites to illuminate the structural and functional framework of postsynaptic signaling. It subsequently delineates how β₂ adrenergic receptor (β₂ AR) signaling via adenylyl cyclase and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase PKA is organized within nanodomains. Here, we discuss targeting of β₂ AR, adenylyl cyclase, and PKA to defined signaling complexes at postsynaptic sites, i.e., AMPARs and the L-type Ca²⁺ channel Ca_v1.2, and other subcellular surface localizations, the role of A kinase anchor proteins, the physiological relevance of the spatial restriction of corresponding signaling, and their interplay with signal transduction by the Ca²⁺- and calmodulin-dependent kinase CaMKII How localized and specific signaling by cAMP occurs is a central cellular question. The dendritic spine constitutes an ideal paradigm for elucidating the dimensions of spatially restricted signaling because of their small size and defined protein composition.