We made use of the [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding assay to investigate the effects of bifemelane on the subcellular distribution of protein kinase C in the CA3 and CA1 regions of guinea-pig hippocampal slices. Bifemelane, a drug that augments the long-term potentiation in the CA3 region, significantly induced the translocation of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding activity from the cytosol to the membrane in a dose-dependent manner (10−8 to 10−6 M) and with no effects on total binding activity in the CA3 region. Bifemelane, at a concentration of 10−6 M, was without effect on the subcellular distribution of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding activity in the CA1 region. These observations suggest that bifemelane acts directly on the hippocampus to induce translocation of protein kinase C in the CA3 region. Such an effect may be associated with the bifemelane-induced augmentation of the long-term potentiation in this region of the brain.Key words: bifemelane, protein kinase C, hippocampal slice, translocation, CA3.
Differential Changes in the Phosphorylation of the Protein Kinase C Substrates Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate and Growth-Associated Protein-43/B-50 Following Schaffer Collateral Long-Term Potentiation and Long-Term Depression
