PRKCZ is an atypical protein kinase C isoform that regulates:
Cellular processes: Proliferation, survival, motility, and maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) .
Disease links: Ovarian tumorigenesis (via IGF1R/ITGB3 pathways) , asthma (Th2 immune response) , and insulin signaling (GLUT4 translocation) .
Key functional insights:
Detects endogenous PRKCZ phosphorylation in A549 cell lysates .
Sensitivity confirmed using secondary goat anti-rabbit IgG (1:50,000 dilution) .
Cancer: PRKCZ promotes tumor progression via ERK/MAPK and NF-κB activation .
Inflammation: Required for LPS-induced macrophage signaling .
Clone 1B10 (Cusabio/Abnova) shows higher specificity for human samples vs. clone EP2037AY (Abcam), which cross-reacts with rodents .
Commercial antibodies (e.g., Sigma-Aldrich’s GED-16) prioritize phosphorylation-specific detection .
Abcam (ab62372): Cited in 22 publications, including phospho-specific assays .
Sigma-Aldrich: Optimized for IHC (1:50–1:200) and WB (1:1000–1:2000) .
Sodium azide: Present in storage buffers; requires careful handling .
Phospho-specificity: Confirmed via Mps1 kinase inhibition assays in analogous antibodies .
Storage: Long-term stability at -80°C; avoid glycerol crystallization .
The coding sequence for the phospho-PRKCZ (T560) monoclonal antibody, isolated by immunizing animals with human pT560-PRKCZ, was cloned into plasmids and subsequently transfected into cell lines for in vitro expression. The product was purified using affinity chromatography, resulting in the phospho-PRKCZ (T560) recombinant monoclonal antibody. This anti-pT560-PRKCZ antibody is a rabbit IgG, specifically designed for the detection of human PRKCZ phosphorylated at Thr 560 residue. It is suitable for use in ELISA and Western Blot applications.
PRKCZ, an atypical protein kinase C isoform, plays a crucial role in regulating diverse signaling events, including cell proliferation, survival, and motility. These processes are critical for cancer development and progression. PRKCZ participates in various signaling pathways, such as the activation of the ERK/MAPK cascade, the p70 ribosomal S6 kinase signaling cascade, the transcription factor NF-κB, and cell polarity regulation. Kelly K. Y. Seto et al. discovered that PRKCZ is a promising regulatory component of the IGF1R and ITGB3 pathways, suggesting its potential significance in ovarian tumorigenesis.
Protein Kinase C zeta (PRKCZ) is a calcium- and diacylglycerol-independent serine/threonine-protein kinase that functions in multiple critical cellular pathways. It plays essential roles in:
Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling
Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade
NF-kappa-B activation
Mitogenic signaling and cell proliferation
Cell polarity establishment
Inflammatory response regulation
Phosphorylation at threonine 560 (T560) represents a key post-translational modification that regulates PRKCZ activity. This site-specific phosphorylation is particularly important for the kinase's catalytic function and its ability to interact with downstream effectors in signaling cascades .
Sample preparation is critical for preserving phosphorylation status:
Immediate processing: Process tissues/cells immediately after collection to prevent phosphatase activity
Phosphatase inhibitors: Include phosphatase inhibitor cocktails in all lysis buffers
Cold chain maintenance: Keep samples at 4°C throughout processing
Lysis buffer composition: Use a buffer containing:
Sonication protocol: Brief sonication (3×10s pulses) can improve extraction without denaturing phospho-epitopes
For Western blotting applications specifically, separate proteins on 10-12% SDS-PAGE gels and transfer to PVDF membranes for optimal binding of phospho-epitopes .
Rigorous experimental design requires appropriate controls:
Positive control: A549 whole cell lysate has been validated as a positive control showing the expected 68 kDa band
Phosphatase treatment control: Treating duplicate samples with lambda protein phosphatase to abolish antibody binding
Loading control: Using pan-PRKCZ antibody on parallel blots to normalize phospho-signal
Isotype control: Using matched-isotype IgG for background assessment
Cross-reactivity control: Including samples from Prkcz knockout models when available to verify specificity
Verifying antibody specificity is essential for reliable research outcomes:
Immunogen verification: Confirm the antibody was raised against a phospho-specific peptide corresponding to residues surrounding T560 of human PRKCZ
Predicted molecular weight: The expected molecular weight for PRKCZ is 68 kDa
Phosphatase treatment: Signal reduction after phosphatase treatment confirms phospho-specificity
Reactivity testing: Test across multiple species if working with non-human models (validated for human, mouse, rat)
Knockout validation: When possible, use Prkcz null samples as negative controls
Distinguishing PRKCZ phosphorylation from other PKC isoforms presents a significant challenge due to sequence homology, particularly with PKCι:
Cross-reactivity assessment: Test against recombinant PKCι phosphorylated at T411, which has high sequence similarity to the T560 region of PRKCZ
Sequential immunoprecipitation: Perform initial immunoprecipitation with isoform-specific antibodies followed by phospho-specific detection
Comparative phosphorylation analysis: Examine the phosphorylation ratio of phospho-T560-PKCζ/total-PKCζ versus phospho-T411-PKCι/total-PKCι to identify isoform-specific activation patterns
Data validation methodology:
Investigating PRKCZ phosphorylation in NF-kappa-B signaling requires specialized approaches:
Stimulation protocols:
Co-immunoprecipitation strategy:
Temporal analysis:
Track phosphorylation kinetics (5, 15, 30, 60, 120 minutes post-stimulation)
Correlate with nuclear translocation of NF-kappa-B components
Inhibitor controls:
Prkcz knockout models provide critical contextual information for phosphorylation studies:
Phenotypic observations:
Compensatory mechanisms:
Experimental design implications:
Validation methodology:
Quantify immunoreactive bands using ImageJ (http://rsbweb.nih.gov/ij/)
Normalize phospho-PKC samples to total protein detected on Coomassie Blue stained gels
Capturing transient phosphorylation events presents unique technical challenges:
Rapid sample preservation:
Flash-freezing in liquid nitrogen immediately following stimulation
Use of UV-crosslinking to stabilize protein-protein interactions
Time-course optimization:
Design experiments with closely spaced time points (30 seconds, 1, 2, 5 minutes)
Include both early (seconds to minutes) and late (hours) time points to capture full activation dynamics
Subcellular fractionation approach:
Signal amplification strategies:
PRKCZ phosphorylation status affects its subcellular localization and function:
Co-localization analysis methodology:
Dynamic translocation assessment:
Live-cell imaging with fluorescently tagged PRKCZ constructs
FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) analysis to measure mobility
Mutation of T560 to alanine or aspartic acid to assess phosphorylation dependency
Polarized cell models:
Quantification approaches:
Pearson's correlation coefficient for co-localization analysis
Line-scan intensity profiles across cellular compartments
3D reconstruction of z-stack images to assess spatial distribution in complex tissues