Expression of protein kinase C subspecies in rat retina.

An extract of rat retina was subjected to Mono Q followed by chromatography on hydroxyapatite, and the protein kinase C (PKC) subspecies were identified by immunoblot and biochemical analysis. It was found that, although the relative activities assayed with myelin basic protein as a common phosphate acceptor vary greatly with one another, the alpha-, beta I-, beta II-, gamma-, delta-, epsilon-, zeta-, and another structurally unknown PKC subspecies are expressed in this tissue. Thus, the retina is a unique tissue which expresses most of the PKC subspecies so far identified in mammals.