Activation of guanylate cyclase from rat liver and other tissues by sodium azide.

Sodium azide, hydroxylamine, and phenylhydrazine at concentrations of 1 mM increased the activity of soluble guanylate cyclase from rat liver 2- to 20-fold. The increased accumulation of guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate in reaction mixtures with sodium azide was not due to altered levels of substrate, GTP, or altered hydrolysis of guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate by cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. The activation of guanylate cyclase was dependent upon NaN3 concentration and temperature; preincubation prevented the time lag of activation observed during incubation. The concentration of NaN3 that resulted in half-maximal activation was 0.04 mM. Sodium azide increased the apparent Km for GTP from 35 to 113 muM. With NaN3 activation the enzyme was less dependent upon the concentration of free Mn2+. Activation of enzyme by NaN3 was irreversible with dilution or dialysis of reaction mixtures. The slopes of Arrhenius plots were altered with sodium azide-activated enzyme, while gel filtration of the enzyme on Sepharose 4B was unaltered by NaN3 treatment. Triton X-100 increased the activity of the enzyme, and in the presence of Triton X-100 the activation by NaN3 was not observed. Trypsin treatment decreased both basal guanylate cyclase activity and the responsiveness to NaN3. Phospholipase A, phospholipase C, and neuraminidase increased basal activity but had little effect on the responsiveness to NaN3. Both soluble and particulate guanylate cyclase from liver and kidney were stimulated with NaN3. The particulate enzyme from cerebral cortex and cerebellum was also activated with NaN3, whereas the soluble enzyme from these tissues was not. Little or no effect of NaN3 was observed with preparations from lung, heart, and several other tissues. The lack of an effect with NaN3 on soluble GUANYLATE Cyclase from heart was probably due to the presence of an inhibitor of NaN3 activation in heart preparations. The effect of NaN3 was decreased or absent when soluble guanylate cyclase from liver was purified or stored at -20degrees. The activation of guanylate cyclase by NaN3 is complex and may be the result of the nucleophilic agent acting on the enzyme directly or what may be more likely on some other factor in liver preparations.     

Endogenous activating factor for guanylate cyclase in synaptosomal-soluble fraction of rat brain.

When the crude mitochondrial fraction of rat brain was homogenized with distilled water and centrifuged, most of guanylate cyclase activity was detected in the soluble fraction. The total guanylate cyclase activity recovered in the soluble fraction was 5- to 8-fold higher than that of the crude mitochondrial fraction. The greater recovery of guanylate cyclase activity was found to be due to a release of an endogenous activating factor for guanylate cyclase. The activating factor was partially purified by acid extraction followed by a gel filtration and ion exchange resin columns. The factor was a dialyzable small molecule. The molecular weight was estimated to be between 300 and 600 by a Sephadex G-15 column and Diaflo ultrafilter membranes. It was stable in dilute acids, but labile in alkaline solution. It was readily soluble in water, but insoluble in organic solvents. Treatment with various enzymes, so far as tested, failed to abolish the activity. The activating factor stimulated the initial velocity of the reaction. It altered neither the Km value for GTP nor the dependency of the enzyme on divalent metals. The activation by the factor was due to an increase in the Vmax of the reaction. The activation was prevented by lysolecithin, Lubrol PX, hydroxylamine, methylhydroxylamine, or hemoglobin.     

Stimulation of guanylate cyclase by sodium nitroprusside, nitroglycerin and nitric oxide in various tissue preparations and comparison to the effects of sodium azide and hydroxylamine.

Sodium nitroprusside, nitroglycerin, sodium azide and hydroxylamine increased guanylate cyclase activity in particulate and/or soluble preparations from various tissues. While sodium nitroprusside increased guanylate cyclase activity in most of the preparations examined, the effects of sodium azide, hydroxylamine and nitroglycerin were tissue specific. Nitroglycerin and hydroxylamine were also less potent. Neither the protein activator factor nor catalase which is required for sodium azide effects altered the stimulatory effect of sodium nitroprusside. In the presence of sodium azide, sodium nitroprusside or hydroxylamine, magnesium ion was as effective as manganese ion as a sole cation cofactor for guanylate cyclase. With soluble guanylate cyclase from rat liver and bovine tracheal smooth muscle the concentrations of sodium nitroprusside that gave half-maximal stimulation with Mn2+ were 0.1 mM and 0.01 mM, respectively. Effective concentrations were slightly less with Mg2+ as a sole cation cofactor. The ability of these agents to increase cyclic GMP levels in intact tissues is probably due to their effects on guanylate cyclase activity. While the precise mechanism of guanylate cyclase activation by these agents is not known, activation may be due to the formation of nitric oxide or another reactive material since nitric oxide also increased guanylate cyclase activity.     

Characterization of particulate and soluble guanylate cyclases from rat lung.

Rat lung homogenates contained significant amounts of guanylate cyclase activity in both 100,000 times g (60 min) particulate and supernatant fractions. In the presence of detergent, the particulate fraction contained 40% as much activity as did the supernatant fraction. Detergent-dispersed particulate and partially purified soluble guanylate cyclase preparations were characterized with respect to divalent cation requirements, divalent cation interactions, kinetic behavior, and gel filtration profiles. Both soluble and particulate guanylate cyclases required divalent cation for activity. The soluble preparation was 10 times more active in the presence of Mn-2plus than in the presence of Mg-2plus or Ca-2plus and no detectable activity was seen with Ba-2plus or Sr-2plus. Particulate guanylate cyclase activity was detectable only in the presence of Mn-2plus. Both enzyme preparations required Mn-2plus in excess of GTP for optimal activity at subsaturating amounts of GTP. At near-saturating GTP, the soluble enzyme required excess Mn-2plus, but the particulate enzyme did not. For kinetic analyses the enzymes were considered to require two substrates: metal-GTP and Me-2plus. Apparent negative cooperative behavior was seen with the soluble enzyme when excess Mn-2plus (in excess of GTP) was varied from 0.01 to 0.2 mM; above 0.2 mM excess Mn-2plus classical kinetic behavior was seen with an apparent KMn-2plus of 0.2 mM at near-saturating MnGTP. Similar studies using the particulate preparation yielded only classical kinetic behavior, but the apparent KMn-2plus decreased to near zero when MnGTP was near-saturating. Kinetic patterns for the particulate and soluble enzymes also differed when reciprocal initial velocities were plotted as a function of reciprocal MnGTP concentrations; classical kinetic behavior was seen with the soluble enzyme with an apparent KMnGTP of about 12 muM (at near-saturating excess Mn-2plus), whereas apparent positive cooperative behavior was seen with the particulate preparation (Hill coefficient equals 1.6, S0.5 EQUALS 70 MUM. Ca-2plus "activation" of soluble guanylate cyclase was related to the Mn-2plus:GTP ratio. Activation was most apparent when saturating amounts of Mn-2plus and MnGTP. At relatively high concentrations of Ca-2plus (0.1 to 4 mM), the addition of 10 muM Mn-2plus resulted in a 3- to 5-fold increase in soluble guanylate cyclase activity. In contrast, Ca-2plus sharply inhibited particulate guanylate cyclase activity. Gel filtration profiles of particulate and soluble preparations indicated differences in physical properties of the enzymes. As estimated by gel filtration, particulate (detergent-dispersed)evels. Here, removal of renal tissue is contraindicated. In all renal hy     

Subcellular distribution and activation by non-ionic detergents of guanylate cyclase in cerebral cortex of rat

Non-ionic detergents stimulated particulate guanylate cyclase activity in cerebral cortex of rat 8- to 12-fold while stimulation of soluble enzyme was 1.3- to 2.5-fold. Among various detergents, Lubrol PX was the most effective one. The subcellular distribution of guanylate cyclase activity was examined with or without 0.5% Lubrol PX. Without Lubrol PX two-thirds of the enzyme activity was detected in the soluble fraction. In the presence of Lubrol PX, however, two-thirds of guanylate cyclase activity was recovered in the crude mitochondrial fraction. Further fractionation revealed that most of the particulate guanylate cyclase activity was associated with synaptosomes. The sedimentation characteristic of the particulate guanylate cyclase activity was very close to those of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholine esterase activities, two synaptosomal enzymes. When the crude mitochondrial fraction was subfractionated after osmotic shock, most of guanylate cyclase activity as assayed in the absence of Lubrol PX was released into the soluble fraction while the rest of the enzyme activity was tightly bound to synaptic membrane fractions. The total guanylate cyclase activity recovered in the synaptosomal soluble fraction was 6 to 7 times higher than that of the starting material. The specific enzyme activity reached more than 1000 pmol per min per mg protein, which was 35-fold higher than that of the starting material. The membrane bound guanylate cyclase activity was markedly stimulated by Lubrol PX. Guanylate cyclase activity in the synaptosomal soluble fraction, in contrast, was suppressed by the addition of Lubrol PX. The observation that most of guanylate cyclase activity was detected in synaptosomes, some of which was tightly bound to the synaptic membrane fraction upon hypoosmotic treatment, is consistent with the concept that cyclic GMP is involved in neural transmission.     

Purification and properties of guanylate cyclase from the synaptosomal soluble fraction of rat brain.

Guanylate cyclase (GTP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.2) was purified 2250-fold from the synaptosomal soluble fraction of rat brain. The specific activity of the purified enzyme reached 41 nmol cyclic GMP formed per min per mg protein at 37 degrees C. In the purified preparation, GTPase activity was not detected and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity was less than 4% of guanylate cyclase activity. The molecular weight was approx. 480 000. Lubrol PX, hydroxylamine, or NaN3 activated the guanylate cyclase in crude preparations, but had no effect on the purified enzyme. In contrast, NaN3 plus catalase, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or sodium nitroprusside activated the purified enzyme. The purified enzyme required Mn2+ for its activity; the maximum activity was observed at 3-5 mM. Cyclic GMP activated guanylate cyclase activity 1.4-fold at 2 mM, whereas inorganic pyrophosphate inhibited it by about 50% at 0.2 mM. Guanylyl-(beta,gamma-methylene)-diphosphonate and guanylyl-imidodiphosphate, analogues of GTP, served as substrates of guanylate cyclase in the purified enzyme preparation. NaN3 plus catalase or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine also remarkably activated guanylate cyclase activity when the analogues of GTP were used as substrates.     

Arachidonic acid activation of guinea pig lung guanylate cyclase by two independent mechanisms.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms by which arachidonic acid activates guanylate cyclase from guinea pig lung. Guanylate cyclase activities in both homogenate and soluble fractions of lung were examined. Guanylate cyclase activity was determined by measuring formtion of [32-P] cyclic GMP from alpha-[32-P] GTP in the presence of Mn2+, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and a suitable GTP regenerating system. Arachidonic acid, and to a slight extent dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, activated guanylate cyclase in homogenate but not soluble fractions. Similarly, phospholipase A2 activated homogenate but not soluble guanylate cyclase. Methyl arachidonate, linolenic, linoleic and oleic acids did not activate guanylate cyclase in either fraction. High concentrations of indomethacin, meclofenamate and aspirin inhibited activation of homogenate guanylate cyclase by arachidonic acid and phospholipase A2, without altering basal enzyme activity. These data suggested that a product of cyclooxygenase activity, present in the microsomal fraction, may have accounted for the capacity of arachidonic acid to activate homogenate guanylate cyclase. This view was supported by the findings that addition of the microsomal fraction to be soluble fraction enabled arachidonic acid to activate soluble guanylate cyclase, an effect which was reduced with cycloooxygenase inhibitors. Lipoxygenase activated guanylate cyclase in homogenate and soluble fractions. Arachidonic acid potentiated the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by lipoxygenase, and this effect was inhibited with nordihydroguairetic acid, 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone and hydroquinone, but not with high concentrations of indomethacin, meclofenamate or aspirin. These data suggest that arachidonic acid activates guinea pig lung guanylate cyclase indirectly, via two independent mechanisms, one involving the microsomal fraction and the other involving lipoxygenase.     

Arachidonic acid activation of guinea pig lung guanylate cyclase by two independent mechanisms

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms by which arachidonic acid activates guanylate cyclase from guinea pig lung. Guanylate cyclase activities in both homogenate and soluble fractions of lung were examined. Guanylate cyclase activity was determined by measuring formation of [32-P] cyclic GMP from α-[32-P] GTP in the presence of Mn²⁺, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and a suitable GTP regenerating system. Arachidonic acid, and to a slight extent dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, activated guanylate cyclase in homogenate but not soluble fractions. Similarly, phospholipase A₂ activated homogenate but not soluble guanylate cyclase. Methyl arachidonate, linolenic, linoleic and oleic acids did not activate guanylate cyclase in either fraction. High concentrations of indomethacin, meclofenamate and aspirin inhibited activation of homogenate guanylate cyclase by arachidonic acid and phospholipase A₂, without altering basal enzyme activity. These data suggested that a product of cyclooxygenase activity, present in the microsomal fraction, may have accounted for the capacity of arachidonic acid to activate homogenate guanylate cyclase. This view was supported by the findings that addition of the microsomal fraction to the soluble fraction enabled arachidonic acid to activate soluble guanylate cyclase, an effect which was reduced with cyclooxygenase inhibitors. Lipoxygenase activated guanylate cyclase in homogenate and soluble fractions. Arachidonic acid potentiated the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by lipoxygenase, and this effect was inhibited with nordihydroguaiaretic acid, 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone and hydroquinone, but not with high concentrations of indomethacin, meclofenamate or aspirin. These data suggest that arachidonic acid activates guinea pig lung guanylate cyclase indirectly, via two independent mechanisms, one involving the microsomal fraction and the other involving lipoxygenase.     

Activation of mouse splenic lymphocyte guanylate cyclase by calcium ion.

The guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) level in the mouse splenic lymphocytes was increased about 2- to 3-fold by concanavalin A. This increase was completely dependent on the presence of Ca2+ in the medium. Homogenates of mouse splenic lymphocytes contained significant guanylate cyclase [EC 4.6.1.2] activity in both the 105,000 X g (60 min) particulate and supernatant fractions and both fractions required Mn2+ for full activity. Calcium ion (3mM) activated soluble guanylate cyclase 3-fold at a relatively low concentration of Mn2+ (less than 1mM) but inhibited the particulate enzyme slightly at all Mn2+ concentrations tested. Concanavalin A itself did not stimulate either fraction of guanylate cyclase. Thus these results suggest that elevation of the cGMP level in lymphocytes by concanavalin A might be brought about by stimulation of Ca2+ uptake and activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by the latter.     

Atrial natriuretic factor selectively activates particulate guanylate cyclase and elevates cyclic GMP in rat tissues

The effects on guanylate cyclase and cyclic GMP accumulation of a synthetic peptide containing the amino acid sequence and biological activity of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) were studied. ANF activated particulate guanylate cyclase in a concentration- and time- dependent fashion in crude membranes obtained from homogenates of rat kidney. Activation of particulate guanylate cyclase by ANF was also observed in particulate fractions from homogenates of rat aorta, testes, intestine, lung, and liver, but not from heart or brain. Soluble guanylate cyclase obtained from these tissues was not activated by ANF. Trypsin treatment of ANF prevented the activation of guanylate cyclase, while heat treatment had no effect. Accumulation of cyclic GMP in kidney minces and aorta was stimulated by ANF activation of guanylate cyclase. These data suggest a role for particulate guanylate cyclase in the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiological effects of ANF such as vascular relaxation, natriuresis, and diuresis.     

Adenine nucleotide regulation of particulate guanylate cyclase from rat lung.

Adenine nucleotides activate basal particulate guanylate cyclase in rat lung membranes. Activation is specific for adenine and not guanine, cytidine or uridine nucleotides. The concentration of adenine nucleotides yielding half-maximum activation of particulate guanylate cyclase is 0.1 mM and this nucleotide activates the enzyme by increasing maximum velocity 11-fold without altering affinity for substrate. Activation is specific for particulate guanylate cyclase, since soluble enzyme is inhibited by adenine nucleotides. Similarly, activation is specific for magnesium as the enzyme substrate cation cofactor, since adenine nucleotides inhibit particulate guanylate cyclase when manganese is used. Adenine nucleotide regulation of particulate guanylate cyclase may occur by a different molecular mechanism compared to other activators, since the effects of these nucleotides are synergistic with those of detergent, hemin and atrial natriuretic peptides. Cystamine inhibits adenine nucleotide activation of particulate guanylate cyclase at concentrations having minimal effects on basal enzyme activity suggesting a role for critical sulfhydryls in mechanisms underlying nucleotide regulation of particulate guanylate cyclase. Purification and quantitative recovery of particulate guanylate cyclase by substrate affinity chromatography results in the loss of adenine nucleotide regulation. These data suggest that adenine nucleotides may be important in the regulation of basal and activated particulate guanylate cyclase and may be mediated by an adenine nucleotide-binding protein which is separate from that enzyme.     

Proof of guanylate cyclase activity in the coronary artery of cattle]

Guanylate cyclase activities were identified in a soluble fraction and a particular fraction obtained from the Arteria coronaria of cattle. The Km-value was 1.0 +/- 0.7 - 10(-4) M for the enzyme substrate complex of the guanylate cyclase of the soluble fraction and 9.2 +/- 1.5 - 10(-4) M for the particular fraction. For the enzyme activity of the soluble fraction Mn++ cannot be replaced by Ca++ or Mg++, whereas for the enzyme activity of the particulate fraction Mn++ can be replaced by Mg++ but not by Ca++. The guanylate cyclase of the particulate fraction can be activated by acetylcholine. This activation can be cancelled by atropine. Acetylcholine exerts no influence on the guanylate cyclase activity of the soluble fraction. ATP inhibits the enzyme activities of both fractions whereas cAMP shows no influence on the guanylate cyclase activity.     

Selective activation of particulate guanylate cyclase by a specific class of porphyrins

Guanylate cyclase was activated 3- to 10-fold by hemin in a dose-dependent manner in membranes prepared from homogenates of rat lung, C6 rat glioma cells, or B103 rat neuroblastoma cells. Maximum activation was observed with 50 to 100 microM hemin with higher concentrations being inhibitory. Activation was observed when Mg2+-GTP but not when Mn2+-GTP was used as the substrate. Increased enzyme activity reflected selective activation of the particulate form of guanylate cyclase; hemin inhibited the soluble form of guanylate cyclase 70 to 90% over a wide range of concentrations. Activation was not secondary to proteolysis since a variety of protease inhibitors failed to alter stimulation by hemin. Protophorphyrin IX had little effect on particulate guanylate cyclase activity and sodium borohydride almost completely abolished hemin-dependent activation. These data suggest a requirement for the ferric form of the porphyrin-metal chelate for activation. However, agents which interact with the iron nucleus of porphyrins, such as cyanide, had little effect on the ability of hemin to activate guanylate cyclase. The stimulatory effects of hemin were observed in the presence of detergents such as Lubrol-PX, and highly purified particulate enzyme could be activated to the same extent as enzyme in native membranes. These data suggest that the interaction of porphyrins with particulate guanylate cyclase is complex in nature and different from that with the soluble enzyme.     

Myocardial guanylate cyclase: properties of the enzyme and effects of cholinergic agonists in vitro.

The characteristics of myocardial guanylate cyclase (GTP pyrophosphatelyase, EC 4.6.1.2) were studied. Specific activity of the myocardial enzyme in five vertebrate species was guinea pig greater than man greater than cat greater than dog greater than rat. In the guinea pig, guanylate cyclase activity was uniformly distributed throughout the anatomical regions of the heart. The major portion of the enzyme activity was retrieved in the supernatant fraction after centrifugation at 12 000 times g. The Km for GTP was similar in supernatant (0.12 mM) and particulate (0.21 mM) preparations, although the Ka for Mn2+ in particulate preparations (0.3-0.6 mM) was less than that observed for guanylate cyclase in the supernatant fraction (0.8-2.0 mM). ATP competitively inhibited supernatant and particulate activity. Addition of 0.005-10.0 mM Ca2+ to assay incubations did not enhance guanylate cyclase activity. Suspension of 105 000 times g supernatant guanylate cyclase preparations with membrane lipids or phosphatidylserine stimulated activity 1.4-4.3 fold, whereas similar treatment of particulate preparations caused little alteration of enzyme activity. Addition of the cholinergic agonists acetylcholine, carbachol or methacholine (10-4-10-8 M) to homogenate, supernatant, particulate and disrupted tissue slice preparations in the presence of 0.0012-1.2 mM GTP, 0.3-10.0 mM Mn2+ and 0.005-10.0 mM Ca2+ or 0.0012-1.2 mM ATP did not stimulate guanylate cyclase activity. Similarly, further stimulation of guanylate cyclase activity was not elicited when enzyme-lipid suspensions were assayed in the presence of cholinergic agents.     

Synthesis of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate by guanylate cyclase, a new pathway for its formation.

The 105 000 X g gupernatant fractions from homogenates of various rat tissues catalyzed the formation of both cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP from GTP and ATP, respectively. Generally cyclic AMP formation with crude or purified preparations of soluble guanylate cyclase was only observed when enzyme activity was increased with sodium azide, sodium nitroprusside, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, sodium nitrite, nitric oxide gas, hydroxyl radical and sodium arachidonate. Sodium fluoride did not alter the formation of either cyclic nucleotide. After chromatography of supernatant preparations on Sephadex G-200 columns or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the formation of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP was catalyzed by similar fractions. These studies indicate that the properties of guanylate cyclase are altered with activation. Since the synthesis of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP reported in this study appears to be catalyzed by the same protein, one of the properties of activated guanylate cyclase is its ability to catalyze the formation of cyclic AMP from ATP. The properties of this newly described pathway for cyclic AMP formation are quite different from those previously described for adenylate cyclase preparations. The physiological significance of this pathway for cyclic AMP formation is not known. However, these studies suggest that the effects of some agents and processes to increase cyclic AMP accumulation in tissue could result from the activation of either adenylate cyclase or guanylate cyclase.     

Requirement for a macromolecular factor for sodium azide activation of guanulate cyclase.

Sodium azide, a highly nucleophilic agent and a potent metabolic inhibitor, markedly increased guanylate cyclase activity from supernatant fractions of rat liver homogenates. The effect of sodium azide was not observed with partially purified guanulate cyclase from liver or crude soluble guanylate cyclase from cerebral cortex. However, the effect of sodium azide could be restored by the readdition of a fraction isolated from rat liver homogenates. The macromolecular factor required for the sodium azide effect was separated from soluble guanylate cyclase of rat liver with DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, and some of its properties were examined. The factor was nondialyzable and heat labile.     

Activation of liver guanylate cyclase by bile salts and contaminants in crude secretin and pancreozymin preparations.

Crude preparations of secretin or pancreozymin increased and at higher concentrations decreased guanylate cyclase (GTP pyophosphate-lyase, EC 4.6.1.2) activity from soluble and particulate fractions of rat liver homogenates. Partially purified and synthetic secretin were without effect as was the biologically active octapeptide fragment of pancreozymin. The active contaminants in these preparations survived boiling, saponification, and treatment with phospholipase A, trypsin and neuraminidase C. The activity was extractable with chloroform/methanol and did not survive ashing. Eight bile salt contaminants in crude secretin were obtained with thin-layer chromatography. Two of the contaminating bile salts that increased liver particulate guanylate cyclase activity were identified as taurodeoxycholate and either glycochenodeoxycholate or glycodeoxycholate; taurocholate was inhibitory. The sodium salts of cholate, deoxycholate, chenodeoxycholate and their glycine-or taurine-conjugated forms either increased or decreased particulate and soluble rat liver guanylate cyclase activity depending upon their concentration. Thus, the previously reported stimulatory and inhibitory effects of secretin and pancreozymin preparations on guanylate cyclase activity are probable attributable to their bile salt contaminants.     

A soluble factor and GTP gamma S are required for Dictyostelium discoideum guanylate cyclase activity.

Amoeba of Dictyostelium discoideum show a rapid, transient cGMP synthesis in response to chemotactic stimulation. Using Mg(2+)-GTP as a substrate, guanylate cyclase (E.C. 4.6.1.2.) activity is found exclusively in the particulate fraction of Dictyostelium cells. Here we show that the activity is dependent on the presence of the non-hydrolysable GTP-analogue GTP gamma S, which itself is only a poor substrate for the enzyme under the prevailing conditions. Evidence is presented that a transient exposure of the enzyme to GTP gamma S is sufficient to constitutively activate the enzyme. GTP gamma S-dependent activity is found to require a factor that can be separated from the enzyme by washing the particulate fraction with low salt buffer. Addition of the soluble cell fraction to these washed membranes restores enzyme activity.     

Stimulation of guanylate cyclase activity in cultured osteogenic murine calvarial mesenchymal cells by PTH, calcitonin and insulin.

These studies provide the first evidence that parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and insulin, all known effectors of bone cell metabolism, stimulate the activity of guanylate cyclase in osteogenic cells derived from fetal mouse calvarial mesenchyme. Adenylate cyclase activity was stimulated by PTH and epinephrine, but not by CT, the latter effect being consistent with an absence of osteoclastpprogenitor cells in this osteogenic mesenchyme. Adenylate cyclase activity was associated entirely with the particulate fraction of the cells while guanylate cyclase, as well as acid and alkaline phosphatase, were present in both soluble and particulate material. The activation of guanylate cyclase by hormones may provide a better basis for understanding the differentiation and regulation of osteogenic cells.     

Characterization of cerebellar guanylate cyclase using N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Presence of two different types of guanylate cyclase in soluble and particulate fractions

Some characteristics of guanylate cyclase (GTP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.2) in subcellular fractions prepared from rat cerebellum have been analyzed on the basis of responsiveness to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and inhibitors related to N-nitroso compounds. The enzyme in 100 000 X g supernatant and crude mitochondrial (P2) fractions were differently activated (11- and 2.5-fold, respectively) by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. The soluble fraction obtained by hypo-osmotic treatment and subsequent recentrifugation of the P2 (P2-soluble) contained a significantly higher total guanylate cyclase activity than that of the starting material (P2). The P2-soluble fraction also exhibited a lower responsiveness (1.5-fold) to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine than that found in the P2. The membrane fraction prepared from the P2 (P2-membrane) had no response to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Hemoglobin and vitamin A derivatives significantly inhibited both N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-activated 100 000 X g supernatant and basal P2-soluble enzyme activities, without effect on the basal activities in 100 000 X g supernatant and P2-membrane fractions. The present results suggest that two different types of guanylate cyclase may be present in rat cerebellum in terms of the responsiveness of N-nitroso compounds, and P2-soluble guanylate cyclase seems to be activated endogenously through a mechanism similar to the action of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.