Peptide fragments of myelin basic protein as substrates of protein kinase C

A set of peptides derived from myelin basic protein was synthesized and the kinetics of their phosphorylation by protein kinase C was studied. The replacement or the removal of the N-terminal Gln had no effect on the activity of the parent peptide. The removal of the following Lys or Arg led to a systematic decrease in substrate activity. The modifications in the C-terminal part of the peptide had a weaker influence on the parameters Vmax and KM than those in the N-terminal. The rather regular dependence of the activity of substrates upon their structure does not allow the strict definition of a minimum substrate for protein kinase C.