UNIQUE PROTEIN-KINASE-C PROFILE IN MOUSE OOCYTES - LACK OF CALCIUM-DEPENDENT CONVENTIONAL ISOFORMS SUGGESTED BY RTPCR AND WESTERN BLOTTING

rtPCR and Western blotting were used to determine which members of the PKC family are present in both immature and mature mouse oocytes. Usi ng isoform-specific PCR primers and antibodies PKC-delta and lambda we re detected while such techniques failed to observe the conventional i soforms of PKC-alpha, -beta, -gamma. This isoform profile was confirme d using an alternative PCR strategy, which allowed discrimination of P CR products derived from conventional and never PKC isoforms. In addit ion PKC-epsilon, -eta, -theta and -zeta were not detected by rtPCR, Th ese results suggest that the predominant isoforms in oocytes are PKC-d elta and -lambda. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societie s.