López-Molina, LauraFernández Irigoyen, JoaquínCifuentes-Díaz, CarmenAlberch, JordiGirault, Jean AntoineSantamaría Martínez, EnriqueGinés, SilviaGiralt, Albert2022-08-102022-08-102022López-Molina, L.; Fernández-Irigoyen, J.; Cifuentes-Díaz, C.; Alberch, J.; Girault, J. A.; Santamaría-Martínez, E.; Ginés, S.; Giralt, A. (2022). Pyk2 regulates MAMs and mitochondrial dynamics in hippocampal neurons. Cells. 11(5), p. 8422073-440910.3390/cells11050842https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/43738Pyk2 is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase enriched in hippocampal neurons, which can be activated by calcium-dependent mechanisms. In neurons, Pyk2 is mostly localised in the cytosol and dendritic shafts but can translocate to spines and/or to the nucleus. Here, we explore the function of a new localisation of Pyk2 in mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), a subdomain of ER-mitochondria surface that acts as a signalling hub in calcium regulation. To test the role of Pyk2 in MAMs’ calcium transport, we used full Pyk2 knockout mice (Pyk2−/−) for in vivo and in vitro studies. Here we report that Pyk2−/− hippocampal neurons present increased ER-mitochondrial contacts along with defective calcium homeostasis. We also show how the absence of Pyk2 modulates mitochondrial dynamics and morphology. Taken all together, our results point out that Pyk2 could be highly relevant in the modulation of ER-mitochondria calcium efflux, affecting in turn mitochondrial functionapplication/pdfapplication/zipeng© 2022 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licenseCalciumER-mitochondria contact sitesHippocampusNeuroninfo:eu-repo/semantics/article2022-08-10info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess