FastScan^™ Total Neurogranin ELISA Kit #99828

Background

Neurogranin is a small neuronal protein that binds to calmodulin in the absence of Ca²⁺ (1,2). Calmodulin binds Ca²⁺ and acts as a Ca²⁺ sensor to drive Ca²⁺-dependent signal transduction pathways by modulating its interaction with various kinases and phosphatases (3). In the postsynaptic compartment of the neuron, Ca²⁺ is carefully regulated and is a critical regulator of synaptic function and plasticity (4). Neurogranin is primarily expressed in the brain and is enriched in somato-dendritic compartments of projection neurons in various regions of the brain (5). Postsynaptically-enriched neurogranin likely influences Ca²⁺ or Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent neuronal functions, including synaptic plasticity, by binding to and releasing calmodulin in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner (6-9). Genetic variants in the gene encoding neurogranin, NRGN, are linked to several neuropsychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia (10). Interestingly, increase in cerebrospinal fluid neurogranin is correlated with neurodegenerative disease progression, which suggests that neurogranin could act as a biomarker for diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (11).