Calcium-modulated membrane guanylate cyclase in synaptic transmission?

Rod outer segment guanylate cyclase 1 (ROS-GC1) is a pivotal enzyme for vertebrate phototransduction and the systematically growing evidence point to its connection with processes other than phototransduction within and outside the retina. ROS-GC1 activity is regulated by Ca2+ in two opposite modes. This regulation is indirect and occurs through Ca+-binding proteins. At nanomolar Ca2+ concentrations, ROS-GC1 is activated by GCAPs and at micromolar Ca2+-concentrations, by S100beta and neurocalcin. The former mode operates in phototransduction and the latter was proposed to play a role in synaptic activity. The last possibility was supported by findings of ROS-GC1 expression not only in various retinal layers other than photoreceptor outer segments but also outside the retina, in pineal gland and olfactory bulb. If ROS-GC1 indeed is to play a role in neurotransmission its expression must be colocalized with its Ca2+-dependent regulators and with possible targets of an increased cyclic GMP concentration, cyclic nucleotide-gated channels or cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase, in synaptic regions. In this review these aspects of ROS-GC1 expression in retina, pineal gland and olfactory bulb are discussed.