Phosphorylation sites in riboflavin-binding protein characterized by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

The Lowry method for quantitation of protein was adapted to automated flow injection analysis. The procedure was developed using two different pure proteins: bovine serum albumin and hepatitis B surface antigen. The system was optimized for reagent concentration, pH, gain, temperature, sample volume, and output. The response of each protein was affected differently by temperature. The reaction slopes and absorbance values of the proteins were similar at 90 degrees C to allow quantitation of hepatitis surface antigen against bovine serum albumin. Advantages of the automated flow injection analysis Lowry procedure include: rapid analyses (90 samples/h), small sample volume (30 microliters, 100 microliters), fast response (20 s), reproducibility (less than or equal to 2% CV within an assay and 3 to 6% CV among assays), sensitivity (5 micrograms), and high correlation (99.8%) with manual assay. After a 30-min set-up period, the analyzer was available to assay protein on demand throughout the day, making it suitable for process and quality control testing.     

A colorimetric assay for measuring the lysis of a plasma clot.

The present study describes a simple, quantitative assay for measuring the lysis of a plasma clot. The principle of the assay is based on the release of Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 dye from the clot. Thirty microliters of freshly prepared Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 (1 mg/ml) was added to 200 microliters of diluted human plasma (1:5). After mixing, 100 microliters of thrombin (2.5 NIH units/ml) were added to mediate a plasma clot. One milliliter of streptokinase (0.1 mg/ml) was used as a plasminogen activator to initiate clot lysis. During the course of lysis, 100 microliters of soluble material were transferred to microtiter wells and the absorbance at 540 nm was determined as a measure of clot lysis. This assay was used to measure clot lysis in 18 human plasma samples. The colorimetric method (X) developed in this report correlated well with that determined using a conventional 125I-fibrinogen method (Y): Y = 0.83X + 7.98 (r = 0.91).     

A microtiter plate assay for protein kinase C

We report the development of a microtiter plate assay for protein kinase C. Reaction components and enzyme samples (protein kinase C purified by phosphatidylserine/cholesterol affinity or DEAE-Sephacel ion-exchange chromatography) were added to wells of a 96-well microtiter plate. The assay was started by the addition of [gamma-32P]ATP with a repeating pipet. After a 3-min incubation at 30 degrees C the wells were sampled six at a time with a 12-channel pipet and spotted onto phosphocellulose filter paper rectangles which were washed with tap water and acetone and counted for radioactivity. The microtiter plate method was more rapid than but gave results similar to those of a standard assay performed in plastic test tubes individually incubated in a 30 degrees C water bath. The microtiter plate procedure gave an intraassay (within one plate) variation of less than 9% and an interassay (between plates) variation of less than 5%. It was linear with time of incubation for 20 min and with amount of enzyme. This method can be used to expedite the assaying of column chromatography fractions for protein kinase C (and other kinase) activity.     

Characterization of bovine aortic protein kinase C with histone and platelet protein P47 as substrates.

A Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) was partially purified from the media of bovine aortas by chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel and phenyl-Sepharose. Enzyme activity was characterized with both histone and a 47 kDa platelet protein (P47) as substrates, because the properties of protein kinase C can be modified by the choice of substrate. Both phosphatidylserine and Ca2+ were required for kinase activity. With P47 as substrate, protein kinase C had a Ka for Ca2+ of 5 microM. Addition of diolein to the enzyme assay caused a marked stimulation of activity, especially at low Ca2+ concentrations, but the Ka for Ca2+ was shifted only slightly, to 2.5 microM. With histone as substrate, the enzyme had a very high Ka (greater than 50 microM) for Ca2+, which was substantially decreased to 3 microM-Ca2+ by diolein. A Triton X-100 mixed-micelle preparation of lipids was also utilized to assay protein kinase C with histone as the substrate. Under these conditions kinase activity was almost totally dependent on the presence of diolein; again, diolein caused a large decrease in the Ka for Ca2+, from greater than 100 microM to 2.5 microM. The increased sensitivity of protein kinase C to Ca2+ with P47 rather than histone, and the ability of diacylglycerol to activate protein kinase C without shifting the Ka for Ca2+, when P47 is the substrate, illustrate that the mechanism of protein kinase C activation is influenced by the exogenous substrate used to assay the enzyme.     

Activation of protein kinase C by Triton X-100 mixed micelles containing diacylglycerol and phosphatidylserine

A mixed micellar assay for protein kinase C was developed to investigate the specificity and stoichiometry of activation by phospholipids and diacylglycerols. Triton X-100 mixed micelles containing 8 mol % phosphatidylserine (PS) and 2.5 mol % sn-1,2-dioleoylglycerol (diC18:1) activated rat brain protein kinase C in the presence of Ca2+ to the same degree as sonicated PS/diC18:1 did in the standard assay. However, protein kinase C activity was more responsive to diC18:1 in the mixed micellar assay than the standard assay. At 8 mol % PS and 100 microM Ca2+, diC18:1 stimulated maximally at 1 mol %. At 2.5 mol % diC18:1 and 100 microM Ca2+, PS did not activate until 3 mol % and then did so cooperatively with maximal stimulation occurring at 6-8 mol %. Direct evidence for a Ca2+-, PS-, and diC18:1-dependent interaction of protein kinase C with mixed micelles was obtained by molecular sieve chromatography on Sephacryl S-200. These data permit inferences pertaining to the number of diC18:1 and PS molecules/micelle which are required for activation. For diC18:1, a single molecule may be sufficient but no more than 2 molecules are required. For PS, greater than 4 but less than 10 molecules are required. These data establish that a phospholipid bilayer is not required for protein kinase C activation and that activation of monomeric protein kinase C occurs.     

A microtiter plate assay for aspartate transcarbamylase

A discontinuous, colorimetric method for the assay of aspartate transcarbamylase has been adapted for use with 96-well microtiter plates. The method is based on that of L.M. Prescott and M.E. Jones (1969 Anal. Biochem. 32, 408-419) for the detection of ureido compounds, using monoxime and antipyrine. The enzymatic reaction is carried out in a volume of 150 microliters and is stopped by the addition of 100 microliters of a color mix. After development, the absorbance at 460 nm is directly proportional to the quantity of N-carbamyl-L-aspartate up to at least 0.125 mumol and to the quantity of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase up to about 7 ng. Kinetic parameters obtained from saturation curves for L-aspartate in 50 mM Tris-acetate, pH 8.0, are indistinguishable from those previously obtained: Vmax = 26,225 mumol h-1 mg-1; S0.5 = 14.7 mmol liter-1; hill constant = 2.5.     

Ethoxylated alcohol (Neodol-12) and other surfactants in the assay of protein kinase C

Most commonly used surfactants were found to be inhibitors of partially purified rat brain protein kinase C at or above their critical micellar concentrations (CMC). These include sodium lauryl sulfate, deoxycholate, octyl glucoside, dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and Triton X-100. Several detergents, including the nonionic surfactants digitonin and Neodol-12 (ethoxylated alcohol), did not inhibit protein kinase C activity, even at concentrations greater than their CMC, while the anionic surfactant, AEOS-12 (ethoxylated alcohol sulfate), inhibited enzyme activity only slightly (less than 8%). Since these latter surfactants have little or no inhibitory effect on protein kinase C, they may be of value in solubilizing cells and tissues for the determination of enzyme activity in crude extracts. Among the detergents tested, sodium lauryl sulfate and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate significantly stimulated protein kinase C activity in the absence of phosphatidylserine and calcium. This was found to be dependent on the presence of histone in the protein kinase C assay. These detergents failed to stimulate protein kinase C activity when endogenous proteins in the partially purified rat brain extracts were used as the substrate. Our results indicate that activity of protein kinase C can be modified by the conditions of the assay and by the detergents used to extract the enzyme.     

Protein kinase C from chicken gizzard: characterization and detection of an inhibitor and endogenous substrates

Protein kinase C was purified from the cytosolic fraction of chicken gizzard by Ca2+ -dependent hydrophobic interaction chromatography, anion-exchange chromatography, and hydrophobic chromatography. The molecular weight was estimated as 61,500 by gel filtration and 80,000 by denaturing gel electrophoresis, indicating that the native enzyme is a monomer. Using the mixed micellar assay, with histone III-S as the substrate, protein kinase C required Ca2+, phospholipid, and diacylglycerol for activity, with half-maximal activation at approximately 5 x 10(-7) M Ca2+ in the presence of L-alpha-phosphatidyl-L-serine and 1,2-diolein. No activation by Ca2+ was observed in the absence of diacylglycerol. Protein kinase C requires free Mg2+, in addition to the MgATP2- substrate, for activity. The Km for ATP was determined to be 20 microM. Activity was sensitive to ionic strength, with half-maximal inhibition at 70 mM NaCl. Using the liposomal assay, phosphorylation of platelet P47 protein and smooth muscle vinculin was more strongly dependent on Ca2+ and lipids than was histone phosphorylation. Partial digestion of protein kinase C with trypsin yielded a constitutively active fragment. A heat-stable inhibitor and three major endogenous protein substrates of protein kinase C were also detected in chicken gizzard smooth muscle.     

Phorbol ester binding and activation of protein kinase C on triton X-100 mixed micelles containing phosphatidylserine

A mixed micellar assay for the binding of phorbol-esters to protein kinase C was developed to investigate the specificity and stoichiometry of phospholipid cofactor dependence and oligomeric state of protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme) required for phorbol ester binding. [3H]Phorbol dibutyrate was bound to protein kinase C in the presence of Triton X-100 mixed micelles containing 20 mol % phosphatidylserine (PS) in a calcium-dependent manner with a Kd of 5 X 10(-9) M. The [3H]phorbol dibutyrate X protein kinase C . Triton X-100 . PS mixed micellar complex eluted on a Sephacryl S-200 molecular sieve at an Mr of approximately 200,000; this demonstrates that monomeric protein kinase C binds phorbol dibutyrate. This conclusion was supported by molecular sieve chromatography of a similar complex where Triton X-100 was replaced with beta-octylglucoside. Phorbol dibutyrate activation of protein kinase C in Triton X-100/PS mixed micelles occurred and was dependent on calcium. The PS dependence of both phorbol ester activation and binding to protein kinase C lagged initially and then was highly cooperative. The minimal mole per cent PS required was strongly dependent on the concentration of phorbol dibutyrate or phorbol myristic acetate employed. Even at the highest concentration of phorbol ester tested, a minimum of 3 mol % PS was required; this indicates that approximately four molecules of PS are required. [3H]Phorbol dibutyrate binding was independent of micelle number at 20 mol % PS. The phospholipid dependencies of phorbol ester binding and activation were similar, with PS being the most effective; anionic phospholipids (cardiolipin, phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylglycerol were less effective, whereas phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin did not support binding or activation. sn-1,2-Dioleoylglycerol displaced [3H]phorbol dibutyrate quantitatively and competitively. The data are discussed in relation to a molecular model of protein kinase C activation.     

A direct microassay for serum retinol (vitamin A alcohol) by using size-exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Serum retinol (bound to plasma retinol-binding protein, RBP) can be determined by direct injection of as little as 20 microliter of serum or plasma by using size-exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Toyo Soda TSK G-3000SW columns (0.75 X 7.5-cm guard column plus 0.75 X 30-cm analytical column) were eluted with 0.2 M NaCl/0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) at 1 ml/min, with detection at 280 nm for protein elution. Fluorescence of the retinol-RBP complex was monitored with excitation at 334 nm (interference filter) and emission at 425 nm (long-pass filter). The retinol-RBP complex eluted as two peaks, the holo-RBP-transthyretin complex (apparent molecular weight 70,000) and holo-RBP (apparent molecular weight 9000). Identities of these peaks were established by immunodiffusion assay of the proteins and by extraction and analysis of retinol. Nonideal interactions with the column packing seem to be responsible for the low apparent molecular weight of holo-RBP. The first peak predominated when large volumes of serum (100 to 250 microliters) were injected, and the second when small volumes (5 to 50 microliters) were analyzed. The integrated area of the two fluorescence peaks due to retinol bound to RBP was proportional to the volume of a serum sample injected over the range 5 to 250 microliters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Alkyl-linked diglycerides inhibit protein kinase C activation by diacylglycerols

Alkylacylglycerols are synthesized when choline-phospholipids are degraded by a phospholipase C. This class of compounds has been shown to have biological activities; however, the mechanism of action is unknown. A series of alkyl-linked diglycerides were synthesized and tested for activity in an in vitro assay for protein kinase C. When protein kinase C activity was stimulated with the synthetic diacylglyceride analog 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol, the addition of alkyl glycerides caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of protein kinase C activity. Comparison of the protein kinase C inhibition by this series of 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl analogs revealed that both saturated and unsaturated long-chain groups in position 1 were effective and that dietherglycerols with short-chain moieties in position 2 were also effective. It is concluded from these studies that the biological activity of alkyl-linked glycerides may be expressed through protein kinase C inhibition.     

Diacylglycerol activation of protein kinase C is modulated by long-chain acyl-CoA

The activity of rat brain protein kinase C, measured in the presence of diacylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and Ca+2, was found to be greatly increased by micromolar amounts of long chain acyl-CoAs, using two different assay systems (lipids added as sonicated dispersion or as mixed micelles with Triton X-100). The potentiation phenomenon required the presence of both diacylglycerol and phosphatidylserine; it was observed at low and saturating concentrations of these effectors, and it was inhibited at high, non physiological Ca+2 concentrations. Under similar conditions, fatty acids alone or coenzyme A were ineffective. The data strongly suggest that acyl-CoAs at the intracellular concentration levels, are important in the modulation of protein kinase C, after activation of the enzyme by the phospholipase C/phosphatidylinositol pathway.     

Development of a fluorescence polarization bead-based coupled assay to target different activity/conformation states of a protein kinase

Most of the protein kinase inhibitors being developed are directed toward the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding site that is highly conserved in many kinases. A major issue with these inhibitors is the specificity for a given kinase. Structure determination of several kinases has shown that protein kinases adopt distinct conformations in their inactive state, in contrast to their strikingly similar conformations in their active states. Hence, alternative assay formats that can identify compounds targeting the inactive form of a protein kinase are desirable. The authors describe the development and optimization of an Immobilized Metal Assay for Phosphochemicals (IMAP)-based couple d assay using PDK1 and inactive Akt-2 enzymes. PDK1 phosphorylates Akt-2 at Thr 309 in the catalytic domain, leading to enzymatic activation. Activation of Akt by PDK1 is measured by quantitating the phosphorylation of Akt-specific substrate peptide using the IMAP assay format. This IMAP-coupled assay has been formatted in a 384-well microplate format with a Z' of 0.73 suitable for high-throughput screening. This assay was evaluated by screening the biologically active sample set LOPAC trade mark and validated with the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine. The IC(50) value generated was comparable to the value obtained by the radioactive (33)P-gamma-ATP flashplate transfer assay. This coupled assay has the potential to identify compounds that target the inactive form of Akt and prevent its activation by PDK1, in addition to finding inhibitors of PDK1 and activated Akt enzymes.     

A study of phosphoglycerate kinase in human erythrocytes. I. Enzyme isolation, purification and assay.

The enzyme ATP-3-phospho-D-glycerate-1-phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.2.3) (phosphoglycerate kinase) has been isolated from human red cells in crystalline form by a modification of the method of Yoshida and Watanabe (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 440-445). The crystalline enzyme was further purified by electrofocusing using carrier ampholytes (pH 7-9). The isoelectric point of phosphoglycerate kinase was estimated to be 8.75. The specific activity of purified phosphoglycerate kinase from electrofocusing was 2200 units per mg of protein at pH 8.3 (37 degrees C). Enzyme activity was assayed in the forward direction leading from 1,3-diphosphoglycerate to a 3-phosphoglycerate using a fluorimetric procedure for NAD-coupled enzymes for the measurement of the reaction rate at very low substrate concentrations. The auxiliary indicator enzymes were added in excess to yield true initial velocity kinetics, i.e. with no time lag upon addition of substrate (1,3-diphosphoglycerate). This was established theoretically using a mathematical model and confirmed experimentally. Further phosphoglycerate kinase was shown to be the rate-limiting step when the assay conditions were varied.     

Differential sensitivity of agonist- and antagonist-occupied gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors to protein kinase C activators. A marker for receptor activation

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulates release of pituitary gonadotropins by activating specific plasma membrane receptors. In the present studies, we have used activators of the Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) to probe the binding characteristics of agonist- or antagonist-occupied GnRH receptors in intact cell cultures, using a radioligand receptor assay. Specific binding of [125I-Tyr5,D-Ser(tBu)6,Pro9,NHEt]GnRH (Buserelin), a high-affinity GnRH agonist, was increased to 180% of control in the presence of 150 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or 100 nM phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB), and to 125% of control in the presence of 200 microM 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol, after 20 min at 23 degrees C. The PMA effects were associated with apparent increases in both binding affinity and number of binding sites. The effects of protein kinase C activators on Buserelin binding were concentration- and time-dependent and were not seen with 4 alpha-PMA or 1,2-dioctanoyl-3-Cl-glycerol, neither of which activate protein kinase C. In contrast, PMA had no measurable effects on specific binding of a GnRH receptor antagonist, Ac[D-pCl-Phe1,2,D-Trp3,125I-Tyr5,D-Lys6,D-Ala10]GnRH. When cell cultures were pretreated with 100 nM PDB in the absence of GnRH and then washed to remove the phorbol ester, no effects of prior protein kinase C activation were detected upon subsequent addition of Buserelin. However, when PDB pretreatment was carried out in the presence of 0.3 microM GnRH, residual enhancement of Buserelin binding, but not antagonist binding, was observed at either 23 or 4 degrees C. The radiolabeled agonist activated, and the antagonist blocked, GnRH receptor-mediated luteinizing hormone release and [3H]inositol phosphate production in cells preloaded with [3H]inositol. These findings suggest that the action of protein kinase C on the GnRH receptor, either direct or indirect, requires the receptor to be in an activated (agonist-occupied) state but does not require receptor internalization. The mechanism of these effects on GnRH agonist binding is not known but may involve sequestration of surface receptors, expression of new receptors, and/or modulation of GnRH receptor affinity.     

Rapid and serial determination of protein kinase C activity and of the associated [3H]PDBu binding using a 96-well microtiter plate and a cell harvester

We propose a serial assay of both protein kinase C activity and the related [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding, each carried out in 96-multiwell dishes, started and stopped row by row using a multipipet. Protein kinase C activity is observed through the transfer of the gamma-phosphoryl group of radioactive ATP onto histone H1 type III-S. Enzymatic reactions are started by adding enzyme extracts and stopped by adding trichloroacetic acid. Acidic precipitates of each row are simultaneously collected on glass fiber paper using a cell harvester. The addition of bovine serum albumin and cold ATP at the end of the reaction and the addition of trichloroacetic acid in the washing fluid lead to a high recovery of protein kinase C activity and reproducible results. Measurement of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding to protein kinase C was carried out in a mixed micellar solution as described elsewhere (Y. Hannun and R. M. Bell (1987) in Methods in Enzymology, Vol. 141, pp. 287-293). The quaternary complex formed from protein kinase C, phosphatidylserine, calcium, and [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate was then bound to a beaded anionic exchanger which was automatically separated from the free phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate by microfiltration using a cell harvester. The binding reaction was highly calcium- and phosphatidylserine-dependent and calcium had to be added to washing fluid for optimal recovery. Determination of protein kinase C activity and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding gave results similar to those of other published methods and the signal/noise ratio was greatly increased. Using a semi-automated cell harvester, the system is partially automated and provides accurate and reproducible results.     

A strain of Fujinami sarcoma virus which is temperature-sensitive in protein phosphorylation and cellular transformation

Cells infected by one strain of Fujinami sarcoma virus (FSV) are transformed at 38 degrees C but are phenotypically normal at 41.5 degrees C. FSV encodes a 140,000 molecular weight protein (P140) with gag gene-related and FSV-specific peptide sequences. At 41.5 degrees C, P140 is weakly phosphorylated at serine residues, and is inactive in the immune complex protein kinase assay. At 38 degrees C, P140 is highly phosphorylated, contains phosphotyrosine in addition to phosphoserine, and in the immune complex kinase assay becomes phosphorylated at three tyrosine residues. Phosphorylation of cellular polypeptides at tyrosine residues in FSV-infected cells is also temperature-sensitive. These observations indicate that P140 is the transforming protein of FSV and that protein phosphorylation at tyrosine residues is involved in transformation by this virus.     

Activation of adipocyte adenylate cyclase by protein kinase C

Adenylate cyclase activity in purified rat adipocyte membranes is stimulated by the calcium- and phospholipid-dependent enzyme protein kinase C. Over the concentration range of 100-1000 milliunits/ml, both highly purified (approximately 3000 units/mg of protein) protein kinase C from rat brain and partially purified (14 units/mg of protein) protein kinase C from guinea pig pancreas stimulate cyclase activity. The actions of both protein kinase C preparations on adenylate cyclase activity are dependent on added calcium, which is effective at concentrations less than 10 microM. Exogenous phospholipids are not required for stimulation of adenylate cyclase by protein kinase C; but, under typical cyclase assay conditions, the adipocyte membranes satisfy the lipid requirement for protein kinase C phosphorylation of histone. The tumor-promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate enhances the kinase action on cyclase, and the phorbol ester is effective at concentrations equimolar with the kinase (less than 10 nM). With the brain protein kinase C, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate effects are especially evident at limiting calcium concentrations. Inhibitors of protein kinase C activity, such as chlorpromazine, palmitoylcarnitine, and polymyxin B, inhibit selectively that adenylate cyclase activity which is stimulated by protein kinase C plus calcium. It is concluded that protein kinase C acts directly on the adipocyte adenylate cyclase system.     

Evidence that a second stereochemical centre in diacylglycerols defines interaction at the recognition site on protein kinase C

The interaction of novel diacylglycerol analogues at the recognition site on protein kinase C has been evaluated using a modified [3H]phorbol dibutyrate binding assay and an established kinase activation assay. Studies with the 3-methyl analogues of 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycerol have revealed a preferred stereochemical configuration at the C-3 position. Other chemical modifications have extended existing structure/activity relationships by showing that carbamates and sulphonyl esters cannot substitute for carboxylate esters and that cyclic acyl groups are active. Thus, most, if not all of the functionalities in the diacylglycerol molecule are required for interaction at the receptor on protein kinase C. Stereochemical specificity is required at C2 and C3.     

Aminoacridines, potent inhibitors of protein kinase C

Acridine orange, acridine yellow G, and related compounds potently inhibited protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme) activity and phorbol dibutyrate binding. Inhibition was investigated in vitro using Triton X-100 mixed micellar assays (Hannun, Y. A., Loomis, C. R., and Bell, R. M. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 10039-10043 and Hannun, Y. A., and Bell, R. M. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 9341-9347). Inhibition by the acridine derivatives was subject to surface dilution; therefore, the relevant concentration unit is mol % rather than the bulk molar concentration. Fifty percent inhibition of protein kinase C activity occurred at concentrations of these compounds comparable to concentrations of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) and phosphatidylserine (PS) required for enzyme activation (i.e. 1-6 mol %). The mechanism of inhibition appeared to be complex: both the catalytic and regulatory sites of protein kinase C were affected. Acridine orange was a competitive inhibitor with respect to MgATP when the catalytic fragment of protein kinase C was employed. Inhibition at the active site was overcome by the addition of Triton X-100 micelles or phospholipid vesicles. When the activity of intact protein kinase C was measured, inhibition was noncompetitive with respect to MgATP. Further kinetic analysis suggested a competitive type of inhibition with respect to PS and DAG implying an interaction of acridine compounds with the regulatory lipid cofactors or with the regulatory domain of protein kinase C. This was further supported by demonstrating inhibition of phorbol dibutyrate binding to both protein kinase C and the lipid-binding domain generated by trypsin hydrolysis. Acridine orange and acridine yellow G also inhibited thrombin-induced 40-kDa phosphorylation in human platelets and phorbol dibutyrate binding to platelets. These effects were also subject to surface dilution. These results suggest that acridine derivatives have multiple interactions with protein kinase C with the predominant effect being inhibition of activation within the regulatory domain of the enzyme. Some of the biologic effects of acridine derivatives including anti-tumor action may occur as a consequence of protein kinase C inhibition.