In the current study, the protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes present in mouse epidermis have been identified using immunological and chromatographic methods. Six PKC isozymes, PKC alpha, PKC beta, PKC gamma, PKC delta, PKC epsilon, and PKC zeta, were identified in unfractionated epidermal preparations by protein immunoblotting. The subcellular distribution and presence of these isozymes was further verified by hydroxyapatite (HA) chromatography with the exception of PKE epsilon, which could not be detected following HA chromatography. The five PKC isozymes recovered following HA chromatography were detected in both epidermal cytosol and particulate fractions, although PKC delta was found in a much higher proportion relative to the other PKC isozymes in the particulate fraction using histone H1 as the substrate. The biochemical properties of the epidermal PKC isozymes partially purified by HA chromatography agreed with those reported for other tissues and further supported their immunological identification in epidermal preparations. The activities of HA chromatography peaks corresponding to PKC alpha, PKC beta, and PKC gamma were found to be dependent on both Ca2+ and phosphatidylserine (PtdSer), whereas, the activities of HA peaks corresponding to PKC delta and PKC zeta were Ca(2+)-independent but PtdSer-dependent. The HA peak corresponding to PKC gamma also displayed a characteristic biphasic modulation by arachidonic acid (activation at low, inactivation at high concentrations) and inactivation by preincubation with PtdSer. PKC zeta activity was also characteristic, in that it was dependent on PtdSer and was not increased by the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. Some differences in substrate specificity were also observed between the epidermal PKC isozymes. The presence of multiple isozymes of PKC in mouse epidermis suggests that the different isozymes may play distinct roles in signal transduction and tumor promotion in this tissue.