A hallmark of the afflicted nervous tissue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is the presence of
protein aggregates, which to a large extent contain the intermediate filament protein
peripherin. Here we show that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) or overexpression of
PKCϵ induces the aggregation of peripherin in cultured neuroblastoma cells with elevated
amounts of peripherin. The formation of aggregates was coupled to an increased apoptosis,
suggesting a functional link between these events. Both induction of aggregates and …