Membrane components can modulate the substrate specificity of protein kinase C.

The cationic amphiphile, cholesteryl-3 beta-carboxyamidoethylene-trimethylammonium iodide, can alter the substrate specificity of protein kinase C (PKC). The phosphorylation of histone catalyzed by PKC requires the binding of the enzyme to phospholipid vesicles. This cationic amphiphile reduces both the binding of PKC to lipid and as a consequence its rate of phosphorylation of histone. In contrast, PKC bound to large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) composed of 50 mol% POPS, 20 mol% POPC, and 30 mol% of this amphiphile catalyzes protamine sulfate phosphorylation by an almost 4 fold greater rate. This activation requires phosphatidylserine (PS) and is inhibited by Ca2+. The extent of activation is affected by the time of incubation of PKC with LUVs. This data suggests a novel mechanism by which PKC-dependent signal transduction pathways may be altered by altering the protein targets of this enzyme.