Localization of protein kinase C-beta-like immunoreactivity in the rat dorsal root ganglion.

The localization of protein kinase C-beta-like immunoreactivity (PKC-beta-LI) was studied in the rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) using an antibody specific for a peptide sequence common to the beta 1- and beta 2-subtypes. PKC-beta-LI was seen in 45% of neuronal cell bodies and in nerve fibers, which were mostly myelinated. The PKC-beta-LI-containing cell bodies had a diameter significantly larger than the unlabeled cell bodies. The results suggest that PKC-beta is a PKC subtype involved in cell surface signal transduction in the subpopulation of large DRG neurons.