Protein interacting with C kinase 1 (PICK1) is a PDZ-domain containing protein that is located in the perinuclear region and is phosphorylated in response to PKCα activation. PKCα, which is essential for the regulation of proliferation and differentiation in numerous cell types, contains within its catalytic region a PDZ-binding domain that is absent from other PKC isoforms. Mutation of the PICK1 PDZ domain inhibits the binding of PICK1 to PKCα. PICK1 also interacts with the carboxy terminus of a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor, a neurotransmitter receptor located at excitatory synapses, suggesting that PICK1 plays a role in the modulation of synaptic transmission by targeting and anchoring AMPA to specific synapses.
