Molecular Neurobiology for Practicing Psychiatrists, Part 3: How Second Messengers "Turn On" Genes by Activating Protein Kinases and Transcription Factors

This is the third in a series on molecular neurobiology for the practicing psychiatrist. Previous lessons provided a visual vocabulary and explained the activation of second messenger systems. Here we explain the next 3 steps involved in what happens after a second messenger is formed, namely, activation first of an intracellular protein kinase enzyme, then activation of a transcription factor by the protein kinase, and finally, activation of gene expression by the transcription factor.