Guanylate cyclase soluble subunit alpha-1 (sGC alpha-1) (sGC alpha-1)

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is a key enzyme in the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway, serving as the primary intracellular receptor for NO (UniProt P14314). The alpha-1 subunit, encoded by the GUCY1A1 gene, forms a functional heterodimer with the beta-1 subunit to catalyze the conversion of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) (PubMed: 25073556). This second messenger, cGMP, mediates various physiological effects, including vasodilation, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and suppression of smooth muscle cell proliferation (StatPearls: NBK541043). In diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension and heart failure, the NO-sGC-cGMP pathway is often impaired due to reduced NO bioavailability or oxidative stress (PubMed: 33440111). Therapeutic agents like riociguat and vericiguat act as sGC stimulators, enhancing the enzyme's activity and sensitivity to NO to restore vascular homeostasis (DrugBank DB09036). These drugs are used to manage chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in heart failure patients (FDA: Verquvo Label).

Other names

Soluble guanylate cyclase alpha-1 subunitGUCY1A1GUCY1A3GUCSA3GUC1A3Guanylate cyclase soluble subunit alpha-1

Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator and activator