Membrane guanylate cyclase is a cell-surface receptor with homology to protein kinases

Guanylate cyclase has been strongly implicated as a cell-surface receptor on spermatozoa for a chemotactic peptide, and on various other cells as a receptor for atrial natriuretic peptides. Resact (Cys-Val-Thr-Gly-Ala-Pro-Gly-Cys-Val-Gly-Gly-Gly-Arg-Leu-NH2), the chemotactic peptide released by sea urchin Arbacia punctulata eggs, is specifically crosslinked to A. punctulata spermatozoan guanylate cyclase. After the binding of the peptide the state of guanylate cyclase phosphorylation modulates enzyme activity. We report here that the deduced amino-acid sequence of the spermatozoan membrane form of guanylate cyclase predicts an intrinsic membrane protein of 986 amino acids with an amino-terminal signal sequence. A single transmembrane domain separates the protein into putative extracellular and cytoplasmic-catalytic domains. The cytoplasmic carboxyl-terminal 95 amino acids contain 20% serine, the likely regulatory sites for phosphorylation. Unexpectedly, the enzyme is homologous to the protein kinase family.