Sequential degradation of [alpha]II and [beta]II spectrin by calpain in glutamate or maitotoxin-stimulated cells

A study was conducted to identify a second calmodulin-regulated site targeted by calpain in [alpha]II spectrin and three novel sites of cleavage in [beta]II spectrin. It was found that glutamate stimulation of cortical neurons preferentially induces [alpha]II spectrin cleavage as a very early event while in non-glutamate responsive SH-SY5Y cells, spectrin is unaffected by glutamate exposure.