Immunochemical identification of protein kinase C isozymes as products of discrete genes.

Immunocytochemical studies of rat cerebellum using specific antibodies against type I, II, and III PKC revealed the presence of the type I PKC in the Purkinje cells where transcripts of tau cDNA were localized, the type II PKC in the granule cells where transcripts of beta cDNA were detected, and the type III PKC in both the Purkinje and granule cells. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the expressed PKC in COS cells transfected with either alpha, beta, or tau cDNA of PKC were recognized by specific antibodies against the type III, II, and I PKC isozymes, respectively. These results prove that the type I, II, and III PKC are products of PKC genes, tau, beta, and alpha, respectively. With these specific antibodies we have identified the presence of multiple species of PKC in a variety of cell types.