title: Alterations in protein kinase C activity and processing during zinc-deficiency-induced cell death.
abstract: Protein kinases C (PKCs) are a family of serine/threonine kinases that are critical for signal transduction pathways involved in growth, differentiation and cell death. All PKC isoforms have four conserved domains, C1-C4. The C1 domain contains cysteine-rich finger-like motifs, which bind two zinc atoms. The zinc-finger motifs modulate diacylglycerol binding; thus, intracellular zinc concentrations could influence the activity and localization of PKC family members. 3T3 cells were cultured in zinc-deficient or zinc-supplemented medium for up to 32 h. Cells cultured in zinc-deficient medium had decreased zinc content, lowered cytosolic classical PKC activity, increased caspase-3 processing and activity, and reduced cell number. Zinc-deficient cytosols had decreased activity and expression levels of PKC-alpha, whereas PKC-alpha phosphorylation was not altered. Inhibition of PKC-alpha with Gö6976 had no effect on cell number in the zinc-deficient group. Proteolysis of the novel PKC family member, PKC-delta, to its 40-kDa catalytic fragment occurred in cells cultured in the zinc-deficient medium. Occurrence of the PKC-delta fragment in mitochondria was co-incident with caspase-3 activation. Addition of the PKC-delta inhibitor, rottlerin, or zinc to deficient medium reduced or eliminated proteolysis of PKC-delta, activated caspase-3 and restored cell number. Inhibition of caspase-3 processing by Z-DQMD-FMK (Z-Asp-Gln-Met-Asp-fluoromethylketone) did not restore cell number in the zinc-deficient group, but resulted in processing of full-length PKC-delta to a 56-kDa fragment. These results support the concept that intracellular zinc concentrations influence PKC activity and processing, and that zinc-deficiency-induced apoptosis occurs in part through PKC-dependent pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8669, USA.
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: Tony Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Momma
authors.forename: Brad J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Niles
authors.forename: Jodie Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Daston
authors.forename: Carl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Keen
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism*; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha; D051745:Protein Kinase C-delta; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000201:enzymology; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; C497259:Prkcd protein, mouse; C496630:Prkca protein, mouse; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha; D051745:Protein Kinase C-delta; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D015032:Zinc