title: Modulation of protein kinase C by heavy metals.
abstract: Protein kinase C (PKC) regulates a variety of intracellular and extracellular signals across the neuronal membrane. PKC requires calcium and phospholipid, particularly phosphatidylserine (PS) for its activation. The data indicates that mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and methyl mercury (CH3Hg) in vitro inhibited the PKC activity at micromolar concentrations in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 values of 1.5, 2.12 and 0.22 microM, respectively. The IC50 values indicate that CH3Hg was more potent in inhibiting the enzyme activity than Hg or Pb. The basal PKC activity was also inhibited by Pb or Hg. However, the PS-stimulated PKC activity was more sensitive to Pb or Hg than the basal enzyme. The phorbol ester binding to PKC was also found to be inhibited by micromolar concentrations of these metals in vitro. Hg and CH3Hg were more potent inhibitors of phorbol ester binding than Pb. Dithiothreitol (DTT), a dithiol, but not glutathione (GSH) a monothiol, protected the activities of both PS-stimulated and basal PKC from metal-inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner. The present study suggests that the dithiols but not monothiols effectively protect metal-inhibited activity of PKC in rat brain.
authors.affiliation: Division of Natural Sciences, Selma University, AL, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rajanna
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chetty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajanna
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fail
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Yallapragada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005978:Glutathione / Q000494:pharmacology; D007854:Lead / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D007854:Lead; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D008628:Mercury; D005978:Glutathione; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D004229:Dithiothreitol