Expression of the COOH-terminal residues 179 -330 of the LSP1 protein in the LSP1؉ B-cell line W10 increases anti-IgM-or ionomycin-induced apoptosis, suggesting that expression of this LSP1 truncate (B-LSP1) interferes with a Ca 2؉ -dependent step in anti-IgM signaling. Here we show that inhibition of Ca 2؉ -dependent conventional protein kinase C (cPKC) isoforms with Gö 6976 increases anti-IgM-induced apoptosis of W10 cells and that expression of B-LSP1 inhibits translocation of PKCI but not of PKCII or PKC␣ to the plasma membrane. The increased anti-IgM-induced apoptosis is partially reversed by overexpression of PKCI. This shows that the B-LSP1-mediated inhibition of PKCI leads to increased anti-IgM-induced apoptosis. Expression of constitutively active PKCI protein in W10 cells activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK2, whereas expression of B-LSP1 inhibits anti-IgM-induced activation of ERK2, suggesting that anti-IgM-activated PKCI is involved in the activation of ERK2 and that inhibition of ERK2 activation contributes to the increased anti-IgM-induced apoptosis. Pull-down assays show that LSP1 interacts with PKCI but not with PKCII or PKC␣ in W10 cell lysates, while in vitro LSP1 and B-LSP1 bind directly to PKCI. Thus, B-LSP1 is a unique reagent that binds PKCI and inhibits anti-IgMinduced PKCI translocation, leading to inhibition of ERK2 activation and increased apoptosis.Many mouse and human B-lymphoma cell lines are susceptible to anti-IgM-induced apoptosis (1-6). Multiple mIgM 1 -coupled signal transduction pathways such as increased [Ca 2ϩ ] i , and production of ceramides and reactive oxygen species mediate the apoptotic effect of mIgM stimulation (7-9). However, anti-IgM treatment also activates potentially antiapoptotic signaling pathways such as activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and its downstream target Akt/PKB or activation of PKC (10 -12). Thus, the outcome of anti-IgM signaling depends on a balance of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic signals.Activation and translocation of PKC by phorbol ester protects normal immature and mature mouse B-lymphocytes, the mouse B-lymphoma cell line WEHI-231, human B-lymphoma cell lines and human B-CLL cells from anti-IgM-induced apoptosis (1,4,13,14). The precise PKC isoform involved in protection from anti-IgM-induced apoptosis is not yet known. Evidence for a role of one or more of the Ca 2ϩ -dependent cPKC isoforms ␣, I, II, or ␥ in this protection comes from experiments showing that the protective action of phorbol esters on immature B-lymphocytes (13) is abrogated by a cPKC-specific inhibitor. This inhibitor also renders mature Blymphocytes susceptible to anti-IgM-induced apoptosis (13), suggesting that anti-IgM-induced activation of cPKC isoforms plays an important role in regulating susceptibility of different B-lymphocyte lineage cells to anti-IgM-induced apoptosis.The mouse leukocyte-specific protein 1 (LSP1) is a 330-amino acid residue intracellular protein expressed in B-and T-lymphocytes and in macrophages and neutr...