Expression of three (and a putative four) protein kinase C genes in brains of rat and rabbit.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a phospholipid- and calcium-dependent enzyme found throughout the body, and especially abundantly in the brain. Isozymic forms of PKC, encoded by a family of PKC genes, are currently under intensive study. Sequence analysis of the cDNAs for three, and possibly four, PKCs has enabled the design of specific oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes. We labelled these probes with 35S and used them for in situ hybridization histochemical studies. Transcripts encoding PKC types beta, gamma, and a putative 'epsilon' were visualized throughout the rat central nervous system. They differed from one another in their distributions. PKC type alpha mRNA was found throughout the rabbit central nervous system, but seemed less abundant there than the other PKC transcripts detected in the rat. The distinct distributions of expression of the genes for the PKC isozyme suggest that each has specialized roles in the brain.