Activated learning-and-memory protein forms growing molecular chains, imaging reveals

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Add as preferred source High-speed AFM image of CaMKIIα holoenzymes in the basal state, assembled into a chain-like cluster (dotted outline). The magnified view (top right) and schematic (bottom right; purple and brown spheres denote the kinase domains of two adjacent holoenzymes) show that neighboring holoenzymes are linked through their kinase domains. Credit: Adapted from Suzuki, T. et al., Science Advances (2026). Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University, Kyoto University, SOKENDAI and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences have revealed how CaMKIIα—a key brain protein involved in learning and memory—organizes itself into chain-like structures.