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- ********************************
- * Guanylate cyclases signature *
- ********************************
-
- Guanylate cyclases (EC 4.6.1.2) [1 to 4] catalyze the formation of cyclic GMP
- (cGMP) from GTP. cGMP acts as an intracellular messenger, activating cGMP-
- dependent kinases and regulating CGMP-sensitive ion channels. The role of cGMP
- as a second messenger in vascular smooth muscle relaxation and retinal photo-
- transduction is well established. Guanylate cyclase is found both in the
- soluble and particular fraction of eukaryotic cells. The soluble and plasma
- membrane-bound forms differ in structure, regulation and other properties.
-
- Most currently known plasma membrane-bound forms are receptors for small
- polypeptides. The topology of such proteins is the following: they have a N-
- terminal extracellular domain which acts as the ligand binding region, then a
- transmembrane domain, followed by a large cytoplasmic C-terminal region that
- can be subdivided into two domains: a protein kinase-like domain that appears
- important for proper signalling and a cyclase catalytic domain. This topology
- is schematically represented below.
-
- +-----------------------xxxxx----------------------+---------------+
- | Ligand-binding XXXXX Protein Kinase like | Cyclase |
- +-----------------------xxxxx----------------------+---------------+
- Extracellular Transmembrane Cytoplasmic
-
- The known guanylate cyclase receptors are:
-
- - The sea-urchins receptors for speract and resact, which are small peptides
- that stimulate sperm motility and metabolism.
- - The receptors for natriuretic peptides (ANF). Two forms of ANF receptors
- with guanylate cyclase activity are currently known: GC-A (or ANP-A) which
- seems specific to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), and GC-B (or ANP-B)
- which seems to be stimulated more effectively by brain natriuretic peptide
- (BNP) than by ANP.
- - The receptor for Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (GC-C). The
- endogenous ligand for this intestinal receptor seems to be a small peptide
- called guanylin.
- - Retinal guanylate cyclase (retGC) which probably plays a specific
- functional role in the rods and/or cones of photoreceptors. It is not known
- if this protein acts as receptor, but its structure is similar to that of
- the other plasma membrane-bound GCs.
-
- The soluble forms of guanylate cyclase are cytoplasmic heterodimers. The two
- subunits, alpha and beta are proteins of from 70 to 82 Kd which are highly
- related. Two forms of beta subunits are currently known: beta-1 which seems to
- be expressed in lung and brain, and beta-2 which is more abundant in kidney
- and liver.
-
- The membrane and cytoplasmic forms of guanylate cyclase share a conserved
- domain which is probably important for the catalytic activity of the enzyme.
- Such a domain is also found twice in the different forms of membrane-bound
- adenylate cyclase [5] from mammals and Drosophila. We have derived a consensus
- pattern from the most conserved region in that domain.
-
- -Consensus pattern: G-V-[LIVM]-G-x(5)-[FY]-x-[LIVM]-[FYW]-[GS]-[DNTH]-[DNT]-V-
- [DNT]-x(5)-[DE]
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL, except
- for the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata resact receptor which lack this domain.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: NONE.
-
- -Note: this pattern will detect both domains of membrane-bound mammalian
- adenylate cyclases.
-
- -Last update: October 1993 / Pattern and text revised.
-
- [ 1] Koesling D., Boehme E., Schultz G.
- FASEB J. 5:2785-2791(1991).
- [ 2] Garbers D.L.
- New Biol. 2:499-504(1990).
- [ 3] Garbers D.L.
- Cell 71:1-4(1992).
- [ 4] Yuen P.S.T., Garbers D.L.
- Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 15:193-225(1992).
- [ 5] Iyengar R.
- FASEB J. 7:768-775(1993).
-