Catalytic properties of yeast protein kinase C: difference between the yeast and mammalian enzymes

With bovine myelin basic protein as a model common substrate, protein kinases C (PKC) purified from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mammalian tissue (rat brain) were shown to exhibit clearly different catalytic properties. The major sites of phosphorylation in bovine myelin basic protein by the yeast PKC were identified: Thr-19, Thr-34, and Thr-65. These sites are distinctly different from those for the mammalian PKC: Ser-8, Ser-46, Ser-55, Ser-110, Ser-132, Ser-151, and Ser-161, which were previously identified [Kishimoto, A., Nishiyama, K., Nakanishi, H., Uratsuji, Y., Nomura, H., Takeyama, Y., & Nishizuka, Y. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 160, 12492-12499]. The results suggest that the yeast and mammalian enzymes may play distinct roles in cellular regulation. No evidence is available, however, that a yeast-type PKC exists in mammalian tissues. An oligopeptide containing the sequence around Thr-19 of bovine myelin basic protein, Lys-Tyr-Leu-Ala-Ser-Ala-Ser-Thr(19)-Met-Asp-His-Ala, can be used as a substrate for selective assaying of the yeast PKC.