Expression pattern of protein kinase C δ during mouse embryogenesis

Background The members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family consist of serine/threonine kinases classified according to their regulatory domain. Those that belong to the novel PKC subfamily, such as PKCδ, are dependent on diacylglycerol but not Calcium when considering their catalytic activity. Although several studies have shown the importance of PKCδ in different cellular events in health and disease, the overall in vivo distribution of this PKC isoform during development is still lacking. Through Lac Z and antibody staining procedures, we show here the in vivo expression of PKCδ during mouse embryogenesis. Results Ganglia were the domains with most prominent expression of PKCδ in most of the stages analysed, although PKCδ could also be detected in heart and somites at earlier stages, and cartilage primordium and skin among other sites in older embryos. Conclusions The strong expression of PKCδ in ganglia during murine development shown in this study suggests a significant role of this isoform as well as redundancy with other PKCs within the nervous system, since PKCδ deficient mice develop normally.