N-methyl-substituted fluorescent DAG-indololactone isomers exhibit dramatic differences in membrane interactions and biological activity.

N-methyl-substituted diacylglycerol-indololactones (DAG-indololactones) are newly synthesized effectors of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms and exhibit substantial selectivity between RasGRP3 and PKCα. We present a comprehensive analysis of membrane interactions and biological activities of several DAG-indololactones. Translocation and binding activity assays underline significant variations between the PKC translocation characteristics affected by the ligands as compared to their binding activities.