TY - JOUR T1 - Inhibition of the Plasma Membrane Ca<sup>2+</sup> Pump by CD44 Receptor Activation of Tyrosine Kinases Increases the Action Potential Afterhyperpolarization in Sensory Neurons JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 2361 LP - 2370 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5764-10.2011 VL - 31 IS - 7 AU - Biswarup Ghosh AU - Yan Li AU - Stanley A. Thayer Y1 - 2011/02/16 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/7/2361.abstract N2 - The cytoplasmic Ca2+ clearance rate affects neuronal excitability, plasticity, and synaptic transmission. Here, we examined the modulation of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) by tyrosine kinases. In rat sensory neurons grown in culture, the PMCA was under tonic inhibition by a member of the Src family of tyrosine kinases (SFKs). Ca2+ clearance accelerated in the presence of selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Tonic inhibition of the PMCA was attenuated in cells expressing a dominant-negative construct or shRNA directed to message for the SFKs Lck or Fyn, but not Src. SFKs did not appear to phosphorylate the PMCA directly but instead activated focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Expression of constitutively active FAK enhanced and dominant-negative or shRNA knockdown of FAK attenuated tonic inhibition. Antisense knockdown of PMCA isoform 4 removed tonic inhibition of Ca2+ clearance, indicating that FAK acts on PMCA4. The hyaluronan receptor CD44 activates SFK-FAK signaling cascades and is expressed in sensory neurons. Treating neurons with a CD44-blocking antibody or short hyaluronan oligosaccharides, which are produced during injury and displace macromolecular hyaluronan from CD44, attenuated tonic PMCA inhibition. Ca2+-activated K+ channels mediate a slow afterhyperpolarization in sensory neurons that was inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitors and enhanced by knockdown of PMCA4. Thus, we describe a novel kinase cascade in sensory neurons that enables the extracellular matrix to alter Ca2+ signals by modulating PMCA-mediated Ca2+ clearance. This signaling pathway may influence the excitability of sensory neurons following injury. ER -