PKC alpha

Protein kinase C alpha (PKCα) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PRKCA gene.

Function

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of serine- and threonine-specific protein kinases that can be activated by calcium and the second messenger diacylglycerol. PKC family members phosphorylate a wide variety of protein targets and are known to be involved in diverse cellular signaling pathways. PKC family members also serve as major receptors for phorbol esters, a class of tumor promoters. Each member of the PKC family has a specific expression profile and is believed to play a distinct role in cells. The protein encoded by this gene is one of the PKC family members. This kinase has been reported to play roles in many different cellular processes, such as cell adhesion, cell transformation, cell cycle checkpoint, and cell volume control. Knockout studies in mice suggest that this kinase may be a fundamental regulator of cardiac contractility and Ca²⁺ handling in myocytes.

Protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-α) is a specific member of the protein kinase family. These enzymes are characterized by their ability to add a phosphate group to other proteins, thus changing their function. PKC-α has been widely studied in the tissues of many organisms including drosophila, xenopus, cow, dog, chicken, human, monkey, mouse, pig, and rabbit. Many studies are currently being conducted investigating the structure, function, and regulation of this enzyme. The most recent investigations concerning this enzyme include its general regulation, hepatic function, and cardiac function.

PKC

PKC may refer to:

PKC (conference)

PKC or Public-Key Cryptography is the short name of the International Workshop on Theory and Practice in Public Key Cryptography (modified as International Conference on Theory and Practice in Public Key Cryptography since 2006), a cryptography conference sponsored by the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR).

The first PKC was held in 1998 in Yokohama, Japan, and is held yearly at locations all over the world. Until 2001, all PKC workshops were held in east Asia (Yokohama in 1998, Kamakura in 1999, Melbourne in 2000, and Cheju Island, Korea in 2001), but since then the conference has become more global. Other locations include Paris in 2002, Miami in 2003, Singapore in 2004, Les Diablerets, Switzerland in 2005, New York in 2006, Beijing in 2007. The most recent PKC was held in Gaithersburg, on the campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). and the next will be in Taipei.

See also