Protein phosphorylation is an important mechanism for post-translational regulation of glutamate receptors. Through phosphorylating a specific amino acid in the intracellular domain, protein kinases regulate anchoring, trafficking, and signaling of a given glutamate receptor. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1/5) are densely expressed in the striatum, a brain area involved in addictive properties of psychostimlants. The long-form mGluR1/5 splice variants (1a, 5a, and 5b) have a large intracellular C-terminal tail, which provides a basis for direct protein-protein interactions and phosphorylation. In our recent studies, we found that Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) binds directly to the proximal region of mGluR5a C-terminus. This binding converts mGluR5a into a biochemical substrate for phosphorylation likely at a selective serine site. These findings raise innovative questions as to if CaMKII regulates mGluR1/5 via a direct protein-protein interaction and phosphorylation and if this regulation has a high clinical relevance in a disease model. In this continuation proposal, a series of coherent experiments from molecule to behavior was proposed to confirm the direct binding of CaMKII to mGluR1/5 in vitro and to establish that native CaMKII and mGluR1/5 interact with each other in striatal neurons in vivo. We will characterize if and how Ca2+ regulates the interaction between CaMKII and mGluR1/5 in vitro and in vivo. We will then investigate whether Ca2+-regulated CaMKII-mGluR1/5 interactions regulate 1) signaling efficacy of mGluR1/5, 2) trafficking of the receptors, and 3) interactions of mGluR1/5 with key scaffold Homer proteins, in striatal neurons or heterologous cells. Finally, we will carry out neurobehavioral experiments to define the role of CaMKII-mGluR1/5 interactions in the addictive action of the psychostimulant amphetamine. Our results will provide evidence and insights for a new synaptic model of kinase-regulated mGluRs and for its linkage to a mental illness (substance addiction). They will also ultimately contribute to the development of novel pharmacotherapies, by targeting mGluRs and CaMKII, for treating various mental illnesses, including addiction.