title: Human soluble guanylate cyclase: functional expression and revised isoenzyme family.
abstract: Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), a heterodimeric (alpha/beta) haem protein that converts GTP to the second messenger cGMP, functions as the receptor for nitric oxide (NO) and nitrovasodilator drugs. Three distinct cDNA species of each subunit (alpha1-alpha3, beta1-beta3) have been reported from various species. From human sources, none of these have been expressed as functionally active enzyme. Here we describe the expression of human alpha/beta heterodimeric sGC in Sf9 cells yielding active recombinant enzyme that was stimulated by the nitrovasodilator sodium nitroprusside or the NO-independent activator 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1). At the protein level, both alpha and beta subunits were detected in human tissues, suggesting co-expression also in vivo. Moreover, resequencing of the human cDNA clones [originally termed alpha3 and beta3; Giuili, Scholl, Bulle and Guellaen (1992) FEBS Lett. 304, 83-88] revealed several sequencing errors in human alpha3; correction of these eliminated major regions of divergence from rat and bovine alpha1. As human beta3 also displays more than 98% similarity to rat and bovine beta1 at the amino acid level, alpha3 and beta3 represent the human homologues of rat and bovine alpha1 and beta1, and the isoenzyme family is decreased to two isoforms for each subunit (alpha1, alpha2; beta1, beta2). Having access to the human key enzyme of NO signalling will now permit the study of novel sGC-modulating compounds with therapeutic potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Julius Maximilians University, 9 Versbacher St., D-97078 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Zabel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weeger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007191:Indazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012995:Solubility; D018411:Spodoptera; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007191:Indazoles; D007527:Isoenzymes; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C090937:3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole; D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D006152:Cyclic GMP