Ca2+/CALMODULIN-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE II IN THE COCKROACH Periplaneta americana: IDENTIFICATION OF FIVE ISOFORMS AND THEIR TISSUES DISTRIBUTION

Calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a key kinase that transduces Ca2+ signals into downstream effects acting on a range of cellular processes in nervous system and muscular tissues. In insects, different CaMKII isoforms have been reported in Drosophila melanogaster, Apis florae, Bombus terrestris, and Bombus impatiens but little is known on the organization and tissue‐specific expression of these isoforms with the exception of Drosophila. The present study reports the cloning of five CaMKII splice variants issued from a single gene and their tissue‐specific expression in the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Each CaMKII isoform shared 82–90% identity with Drosophila CaMKII isoforms and accordingly were named PaCaMKII‐A, PaCaMKII‐B,PaCaMKII‐C,PaCaMKII‐D, and PaCaMKII‐E. PaCaMKII‐A and PaCaMKII‐D isoforms are ubiquitously expressed in all tissues, but some such as PaCaMKII‐B andPaCaMKII‐C are preferentially expressed in the nerve cord and muscle. In addition, using single‐cell reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), we found a tissue‐specific expression of PaCaMKII‐E in the dorsal unpaired median neurons. Alternative splicing of PaCaMKII transcripts is likely a common mechanism in insects to control the pattern of isoform expression in the different tissues.