Differential involvement of protein kinase C in transmitter release and response to excitatory amino acids in cultured cerebellar neurons.

Cerebellar granule cells cultured in the presence of a differentiating factor isolated from rabbit serum exhibit, at variance with those cultured in fetal calf serum, an almost complete resistance to excitatory aminoacid (EAA)-induced cytotoxicity. We investigated the behaviour of protein kinase C (PKC), strongly implicated in EAA cytotoxicity, in the two types of culture. Phorbol esters, used to monitor the enzyme, enhanced the depolarization-evoked release of D-[3H]aspartate, but less effectively in factor-conditioned cells. EAAs increased phorbol esters binding in both cultures, but the effect was briefly lasting in factor-conditioned cells. The different behaviour of PKC is postulated to be causally related to different response to EAA of the cultures.