Guanylyl cyclase c

protein
Name=guanylate cyclase 2C (heat stable enterotoxin receptor)
caption=


width=
HGNCid=4688
Symbol=GUCY2C
AltSymbols=GUC2C
EntrezGene=2984
OMIM=601330
RefSeq=NM_004963
UniProt=P25092
PDB=
ECnumber=4.6.1.2
Chromosome=12
Arm=p
Band=12
LocusSupplementaryData=

Guanylyl cyclase c, or GC-C, is an enzyme found only in the lumen|luminal aspect of intestinal epithelium. The receptor has an extracellular ligand-binding domain, a single transmembrane region, a region with sequence similar to that of protein kinases, and a C-terminal guanylyl cyclase domain. Tyrosine kinase activity mediates the GC-C signaling pathway within the cell.

Functions

GC-C is a key receptor for heat-stable enterotoxins which are responsible for acute secretory diarrhea. Heat-stable enterotoxins are produced by pathogens such as "Escherichia coli". Knockout mice defficient in the GC-C gene do not show secretory diarrhea on infection with "E. coli", though they do with cholera toxin. This demonstrates the specificity of the GC-C receptor.

Diagnostic application

Because GC-C is tissue-specific for intestinal epithelium, it can be used for exceedingly precise detection of metastatic disease. The presence of GC-C mRNA can be detected at a rate of a single cancer cell out of 10,000,000 normal cells. This is the most precise staging tool available.

ee also

* guanylate cyclase

External links

* [http://www.tdtinc.com/t_prod_blood.html GC-C testing for recurrent colorectal cancer]
* [http://www.jci.org/cgi/content/abstract/100/6/1590 GC-C knock-out mice]
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