Inactivation of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) is associated with resistance to terminal cell death in epidermal tumor cells, suggesting that activation of PKCδ in normal epidermis may be a component of a cell death pathway. To test this hypothesis, we constructed an adenovirus vector carrying an epitope-tagged PKCδ under a cytomegalovirus promoter to overexpress PKCδ in normal and neoplastic keratinocytes. While PKCδ overexpression was detected by immunoblotting in keratinocytes, the expression level of other PKC isozymes, including PKCα, PKCɛ, PKCζ, and PKCη, did not change. Calcium-independent PKC-specific kinase activity increased after infection of keratinocytes with the PKCδ adenovirus. Activation of PKCδ by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) at a nanomolar concentration was lethal to normal and neoplastic mouse and human keratinocytes overexpressing PKCδ. Lethality was inhibited by PKC selective inhibitors, GF109203X and Ro-32-0432. TPA-induced cell death was apoptotic as evidenced by morphological criteria, TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling) assay, DNA fragmentation, and increased caspase activity. Subcellular fractionation indicated that PKCδ translocated to a mitochondrial enriched fraction after TPA activation, and this finding was confirmed by confocal microscopy of cells expressing a transfected PKCδ-green fluorescent protein fusion protein. Furthermore, activation of PKCδ in keratinocytes altered mitochondrial membrane potential, as indicated by rhodamine-123 fluorescence. Mitochondrial inhibitors, rotenone and antimycin A, reduced TPA-induced cell death in PKCδ-overexpressing keratinocytes. These results indicate that PKCδ can initiate a death pathway in keratinocytes that involves direct interaction with mitochondria and alterations of mitochondrial function.