The occurrence and roles of cGMP were investigated in aleurone layers and protoplasts isolated from barley (cv Himalaya) grain. Levels of cGMP in freshly isolated barley aleurone layers ranged from 0.065 to 0.08 pmol/g fresh weight of tissue, and cGMP levels increased transiently after incubation in gibberellic acid (GA). Abscisic acid (ABA) did not increase cGMP levels in aleurone layers. LY 8...

Guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (cGMP-PK) plays a central role in the mediation of the vasodilator response to nitric oxide (NO) and other nitrovasodilators. It is unclear whether cGMP-PK affects calcium-activated potassium channels (KCa channels) or any other type of ion channel in smooth muscle. We provide here the first direct evidence that cGMP-PK can ac...

Sildenafil, an inhibitor of the cGMP-degrading phosphodiesterase 5 that is used to treat erectile dysfunction, has been linked to an increased risk of melanoma. Here, we have examined the potential connection between cGMP-dependent signaling cascades and melanoma growth. Using a combination of biochemical assays and real-time monitoring of melanoma cells, we report a cGMP-dependent growth-promo...

The second messengers cAMP and inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate have been implicated in olfaction in various species. The odorant-induced cGMP response was investigated using cilia preparations and olfactory primary cultures. Odorants cause a delayed and sustained elevation of cGMP. A component of this cGMP response is attributable to the activation of one of two kinetically distinct cilial receptor...

Three signal transduction pathways, dependent on cGMP and/or calcium, are utilized by phytochrome to control the expression of genes required for chloroplast development and anthocyanin biosynthesis in plant cells. For example, chs is controlled by a cGMP-dependent pathway, cab is controlled by a calcium-dependent pathway, and fnr is regulated by a pathway that requires both cGMP and calcium. U...

RATIONALE cAMP and cGMP are intracellular second messengers involved in heart pathophysiology. cGMP can potentially affect cAMP signals via cGMP-regulated phosphodiesterases (PDEs). OBJECTIVE To study the effect of cGMP signals on the local cAMP response to catecholamines in specific subcellular compartments. METHODS AND RESULTS We used real-time FRET imaging of living rat ventriculocytes e...

This basic science review examines the role of cGMP and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype. The first such studies suggested a role for nitric oxide (NO) and atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP), and the downstream second messenger cGMP, in the inhibition of VSMC proliferation. Subsequently, many laboratories confirmed the anti-pro...

Guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) immunoreactivity in the rat's cerebellum was studied with light and electron microscopy by the indirect fluorescence method and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. Labeled cells included neuroglial cells in the cerebellar cortex, white matter, and deep nuclei; some stellate and basket cells in the cortex; and some large neurons in the deep nuclei. N...

In addition to its cGMP-selective catalytic site, cGMP-binding cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) contains two allosteric cGMP-binding sites and at least one phosphorylation site (Ser92) on each subunit [Thomas, M.K., Francis, S.H. & Corbin, J.D. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 14971-14978]. In the present study, prior incubation of recombinant bovine PDE5 with a phosphorylation reaction mixture...

A central step in vertebrate visual transduction is the rapid drop in cGMP levels that causes cGMP-gated ion channels in the photoreceptor cell membrane to close. It has long been a puzzle that the cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) whose activation causes this decrease contains not only catalytic sites for cGMP hydrolysis but also noncatalytic cGMP binding sites. Recent work has shown that occupancy...