cGMP-dependent protein kinase protects cGMP from hydrolysis by phosphodiesterase-5

The physiological effects of cGMP are largely determined by the activities of intracellular receptors, including cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) and cGMP-binding cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs), and the distribution of cGMP among these receptors dictates activity of the signalling pathway. In the present study, the effects of PKG-Ialpha or PKG-Ibeta on the rate of cGMP hydrolysis by the isolated PDE5 catalytic domain were examined. PKG-Ialpha strongly inhibited cGMP hydrolysis with an IC(50) value of 217 nM, which is similar to the physiological concentration of PKG in pig coronary artery reported previously. By contrast, PKG-Ibeta, which has lower affinity for cGMP than does PKG-Ialpha, inhibited cGMP hydrolysis with an IC(50) of approx. 1 microM. Inhibition by PKG-Ialpha was more effective than that by PKG-Ibeta, consistent with their relative affinities for cGMP. Autophosphorylation of PKGs increased their cGMP-binding affinities and their inhibitory effects on PDE5 hydrolysis of cGMP. Autophosphorylation of PKG-Ibeta increased its inhibitory potency on PDE5 hydrolysis of cGMP by 10-fold compared with a 2-fold increase upon autophosphorylation of PKG-Ialpha. The results indicate that cGMP bound to allosteric cGMP-binding sites of PKG is protected from hydrolysis by PDE5 and that persistent protection of cGMP by either non-phosphorylated or autophosphorylated PKGs may be a positive-feedback control to sustain cGMP signalling.