Guanylate Cyclase, a Cell Surface Receptor

Guanylate cyclase appears to represent a central member of a diverse family of proteins involved in cell signaling mechanisms including the protein kinases, a low Mr ANP receptor, and possibly adenylate cyclase (based on limited sequence identity with the yeast enzyme). A membrane form of guanylate cyclase represents a new model for cell surface receptors, although such a model was once envisioned for adenylate cyclase (79). In original models for adenylate cyclase, hormone was thought to bind with either the enzyme or with an unknown protein to enhance cyclic AMP production (79). Guanylate cyclase appears to fall into the first adenylate cyclase model where binding of a ligand to an extracellular site on the enzyme transmits a signal to an intracellular catalytic site. The production of cyclic GMP, a second messenger, and of pyrophosphate are then increased. The protein tyrosine kinase family of receptors (80) and possibly another forthcoming family of cell surface receptors containing protein tyrosine phosphatase activity (81-83) contain a single transmembrane domain like guanylate cyclase. Furthermore, the protein tyrosine kinases are activated by ligand binding to the extracellular domain. However, the activation of guanylate cyclase, unlike these cell surface receptors, results in the formation of a low molecular weight second messenger.