A diffusion-activation model of CaMKII translocation waves in dendrites

Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a key regulator of glutamatergic synapses and plays an essential role in many forms of synaptic plasticity. It has recently been observed that stimulating dendrites locally with a single glutamate/glycine puff induces a local translocation of CaMKII into spines that subsequently spreads in a wave-like manner towards the distal dendritic arbor. Here we present a mathematical model of the diffusion, activation and translocation of dendritic CaMKII. We show how the nonlinear dynamics of CaMKII diffusion-activation generates a propagating translocation wave, provided that the rate of activation is sufficiently fast. We also derive an explicit formula for the wave speed as a function of physiological parameters such as the diffusivity of CaMKII and the density of spines. Our model provides a quantitative framework for understanding the spread of CaMKII translocation and its possible role in heterosynaptic plasticity.