title: Antigenic conservation of brain guanylate cyclase during evolution.
abstract: A comparative study of brain guanylate cyclase from different animal species (including man, bird, fish and amphibian) has been performed using a specific antibody directed against soluble rat brain guanylate cyclase. Analyses were performed on supernatant fractions by the double-immunodiffusion test, by the protein blotting technique after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by analytical isoelectric focusing on agarose allowing specific immunodetection of isoelectric patterns. Membrane-bound guanylate cyclase from rat brain and soluble guanylate cyclase from several rat tissues cross-reacted with the antibody. All the brain enzymes tested were found to be identical by double-immunodiffusion. The electrophoretic and isoelectrophoretic profiles of the different brain guanylate cyclases were found to exhibit many common features with some differences between mammalian and non-mammalian enzymes. In human brain, guanylate cyclase has been localized in glial and neuronal cells by immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrate that guanylate cyclase has been well conserved during the course of evolution and are consistent with the involvement of guanylate cyclase and cyclic GMP in basic cellular function.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002417:Cattle; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D002645:Chickens; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D051379:Mice; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D014337:Trout
chemical_list: D006162:Guanylate Cyclase