Inhibitor-1, the first identified endogenous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1), was previously reported to be a substrate for cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) at Ser 67 . Further investigation has revealed the presence of an additional Cdk5 site identified by mass spectrometry and confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis as Ser 6 . Basal levels of phospho-Ser 6 inhibitor-1, as detected by a phosphorylation state-specific antibody against the site, existed in specific regions of the brain and varied with age. In the striatum, basal in vivo phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of Ser 6 were mediated by Cdk5, PP-2A, and PP-1, respectively. Additionally, calcineurin contributed to dephosphorylation under conditions of high Ca Phosphatases are now recognized as important players in processes ranging from muscle contraction to synaptic plasticity. Protein phosphatase inhibitor-1, or simply inhibitor-1 (I-1), 2 was identified from rabbit skeletal muscle in 1976 as an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1) and a regulator of glycogen metabolism (1). In recent years, interest in the protein has focused on its role in heart failure and neuronal plasticity. In the brain, inhibitor-1 can be found in many areas including the olfactory bulb, neostriatum, cerebral cortex, and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The level of inhibitor-1 in the rest of the hippocampus is a matter of some debate; reports range from little or none to moderate amounts (2-6).Inhibitor-1 is a heat-stable 19-kDa protein that possesses little ordered structure and a preponderance of glutamic acid and proline in its amino acid sequence (7). As a regulator of one of the three major serine/threonine phosphatases in mammalian cells that can itself be regulated by a major kinase, inhibitor-1 occupies an important position in neuronal signal transduction cascades. Only when phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) at Thr 35 does inhibitor-1 become a potent (IC 50 ϭ 1 nM) and selective inhibitor of PP-1 (1, 8, 9). Through its action on inhibitor-1, PKA can amplify cAMP signals by preventing the dephosphorylation of sites it shares with PP-1. That calcineurin (PP-2B, or Ca 2ϩ /calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase) can inactivate I-1 by dephosphorylating the PKA site (10 -12) provides an added layer of complexity, as well as a point of integration for cAMP-and Ca 2ϩ -dependent second messenger systems. The ability of inhibitor-1 to link the actions of PKA and calcineurin to PP-1 has allowed it to occupy a central position in molecular models of synaptic plasticity.In 2001, inhibitor-1 was found to be phosphorylated at another residue (Ser 67 ) by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) (13), a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase. This phosphorylation did not have an effect on the ability of phospho-Thr 35 inhibitor-1 to inhibit PP-1 and had only a mild effect on the ability of PKA to phosphorylate inhibitor-1 at Thr 35 . Despite its name, Cdk5 is not cyclin-dependent. Furthermore, unlike all other cyclin-dependent kinases, Cdk5 is mos...