p-GAP-43 (Ser 41) Antibody: sc-17109

GAP-43 Background Information
GAP-43 is a neural protein kinase C (PKC) substrate enriched in nerve growth cones that is implicated in growth cone plasticity. Endogenous growth cone GAP-43 is phosphorylated at multiple sites, on both serine and threonine residues. Stimulation of PKC activity increases the phosphorylation of only those proteolytic fragments containing Ser 41. However, phosphorylation is predominantly associated with fragments not containing Ser 41. Casein kinase II (CKII) phosphorylates GAP-43 at Serines 191/192 and Threonines 88, 89 and/or 95 both in vitro and in neuronal growth cones. Thus, GAP-43 in growth cones is not only a substrate for PKC, but also for CKII. Basic fibroblast growth factor promotes GAP-43 translocation from the cytosol to adherent membrane patches and stimulates GAP-43 phosphorylation, mainly at Ser 41. The stimulation of neurite outgrowth by NCAM also requires GAP-43 function; and GAP-43 phosphorylation in isolated growth cones occurs via an FGF receptor-dependent increase in arachidonic acid. Phosphorylated GAP-43 stabilizes long actin filaments indicating that post-translational modifications of GAP-43, which can be regulated in response to extracellular signals, have the ability to directly infuence the structure of the actin cyto-skeleton.