NMDA induces protein kinase C translocation in hippocampal slices of immature rat brain.

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced translocation of protein kinase C (PKC) from cytosol to membrane fractions was examined by the methods of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding and western blotting in rat hippocampal slices. NMDA and L-glutamate induced translocation of PKC from cytosol to membrane fractions in immature rat hippocampal slices, but not in mature ones. The NMDA-induced translocation of PKC was dependent on Ca2+. It was inhibited by the NMDA receptor antagonists, 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid and ketamine, but not by Mg2+ and Zn2+. These results suggest that stimulation of NMDA receptors enhances Ca2+ influx and thereby induces translocation of PKC in immature rat hippocampus.