J Biol Chem, Vol. 273, Issue 30, 19235-19242, July 24, 1998
ZmcPKC70, a Protein Kinase C-type Enzyme from Maize
BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION, REGULATION BY PHORBOL 12-MYRISTATE
13-ACETATE AND ITS POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT IN NITRATE REDUCTASE GENE
EXPRESSION
Meena R.
Chandok
and
Sudhir K.
Sopory
¶
From the
Centre for Plant Molecular Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
and the ¶ International Centre for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
The crucial enzyme in diacylglycerol-mediated
signaling is protein kinase C (PKC). In this paper we provide evidence
for the existence and role of PKC in maize. A protein of an apparent
molecular mass of 70 kDa was purified. The protein showed kinase
activity that was stimulated by phosphatidylserine and oleyl acetyl
glycerol (OAG) in the presence of Ca2+. Phorbol
12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) replaced the requirement of OAG.
[3H]PMA binding to the 70-kDa protein was competed by
unlabeled PMA and OAG but not by 4
-PMA, an inactive analog. The
kinase phosphorylates histone H1 at serine residue(s), and this
activity was inhibited by H-7 and staurosporine. These properties
suggest that the 70-kDa protein is a conventional serine/threonine
protein kinase C (cPKC). Polyclonal antibodies raised against the
polypeptide precipitate the enzyme activity and immunostained the
protein on Western blots. The antibodies also cross-reacted with a
protein of expected size from sorghum, rice, and tobacco. A rapid
increase in the protein level was observed in maize following PMA
treatments. In order to assign a possible role of PKC in gene
regulation, the nitrate reductase transcript level was investigated.
The transcript level increased by PMA, not by 4
-PMA treatments, and
the increase was inhibited by H-7 but not by okadaic acid. The data
show the existence and possible function of PKC in higher plants.
Copyright © 1998 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.