Sustained activation of PKC␣ is required for long term physiological responses, such as growth arrest and differentiation. However, studies with pharmacological agonists (e.g. phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)) indicate that prolonged stimulation leads to PKC␣ desensitization via dephosphorylation and/or degradation. The current study analyzed effects of chronic stimulation with the physiological agonist diacylglycerol. Repeated addition of 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (DiC 8 ) resulted in sustained plasma membrane association of PKC␣ in a pattern comparable with that induced by PMA. However, although PMA potently down-regulated PKC␣, prolonged activation by DiC 8 failed to engage known desensitization mechanisms, with the enzyme remaining membrane-associated and able to support sustained downstream signaling. DiC 8 -activated PKC␣ did not undergo dephosphorylation, ubiquitination, or internalization, early events in PKC␣ desensitization. Although DiC 8 efficiently down-regulated novel PKCs PKC␦ and PKC⑀, differences in Ca 2؉ sensitivity and diacylglycerol affinity were excluded as mediators of the selective resistance of PKC␣. Roles for Hsp/Hsc70 and Hsp90 were also excluded. PMA, but not DiC 8 , targeted PKC␣ to detergent-resistant membranes, and disruption of these domains with cholesterol-binding agents demonstrated a role for differential membrane compartmentalization in selective agonist-induced degradation. Chronic DiC 8 treatment failed to desensitize PKC␣ in several cell types and did not affect PKCI; thus, conventional PKCs appear generally insensitive to desensitization by sustained diacylglycerol stimulation. Consistent with this conclusion, prolonged (several-day) membrane association/activation of PKC␣ is seen in self-renewing epithelium of the intestine, cervix, and skin. PKC␣ deficiency affects gene expression, differentiation, and tumorigenesis in these tissues, highlighting the importance of mechanisms that protect PKC␣ from desensitization in vivo.