Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.12 (PKG)
 2,515 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Passage of spermatozoa through the epididymis is obligatory for sperm maturation processes and is based on spontaneous phasic contractions (SC) of the epididymal duct. Here, the functional role of cyclic GMP (cGMP) signaling in modulating SC in the bovine epididymal caput and corpus region was examined by muscle tension recording and immunological and autoradiographic techniques. The cGMP-analog 8-bromo (Br)-cGMP, as well as the nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside and the natriuretic peptides (NPs) atrial NP and C-type NP, displayed distally increasing SC-relaxant effects. In agreement, a distally increasing epididymal expression of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKG I), endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and the atrial NP receptor was found. Immunoreactivity for PKG, soluble guanylate cyclase, and eNOS could be localized to the epididymal muscle cells as well as to the epithelial basal cells only at the corpus level. The SC-relevant action of NO and the NPs was cGMP dependent, and the action of 8-Br-cGMP, in turn, was modified by epithelial and luminal factors. The NOS inhibitor L-NAME (N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) caused an increase in SC frequency, indicating basal activity of NO generating enzymes. The SC-inhibitory effect of 8-Br-cGMP was clearly reduced by the PKG inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cGMPS as well as by iberiotoxin, thapsigargin, and indomethacin, pointing to PKG as main SC-relevant target of cGMP, and to large-conductance calcium-activated K(+) channels, the sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase and cyclooxygenase-1 as possible targets of PKG. These data support an essential role of cGMP signaling in the control of epididymal peristalsis, thereby enabling fine tuning of sperm transport and maturation.
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PMID:Regulation of spontaneous contractile activity in the bovine epididymal duct by cyclic guanosine 5'-monophosphate-dependent pathways. 1643 52

Aging of the male reproductive system leads to changes in endocrine signaling and is frequently associated with the emergence of prostate hyperplasia and bladder dysfunctions. Recent reports highlight prostate and bladder as promising targets for therapeutic interventions with inhibitors of the cyclic GMP (cGMP)-degrading phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5). However, the cGMP signaling system in these organs is as yet poorly characterized, and the possibility of age-related alterations has not been addressed. This study investigates key proteins of cGMP pathways in bladder, prostate, and epididymis of young (3 months) and old (23-24 months) Wistar rats. Local differences in the abundance of PDE5, soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) and particulate guanylyl cyclases (GC-A, GC-B), endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PRKG1 (cGKI)) revealed pronounced tissue-specific peculiarities. Although cGMP-generating enzymes were not affected by age in all organs, we recognized age-related decreases of PDE5 expression in bladder and a selective diminishment of membrane-associated PRKG1 in epididymis. In disagreement with published data, all cGMP pathway proteins including PDE5 are poorly expressed in prostate. However, prostatic PRKG1 expression increases with aging. Androgen withdrawal during temporary Leydig cell elimination induced a massive (>12-fold) upregulation of PRKG1 in prostate but not in other (penis and epididymis) androgen-dependent organs. These findings identify PRKG1 as a key androgen-sensitive signaling protein in prostate of possible importance for growth regulation. The elucidated effects may have significance for age-associated pathologies in the male lower-urinary tract.
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PMID:Cyclic GMP signaling in rat urinary bladder, prostate, and epididymis: tissue-specific changes with aging and in response to Leydig cell depletion. 2151 85