GUCY2C (E6I2U) Rabbit mAb #37517

Guanylyl cyclase C (GUCY2C) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein whose expression in normal tissue is largely restricted to the apical membranes of polarized epithelial cells of the intestine (1,2). The guanylyl cyclase activity within the intracellular domain of GUCY2C is activated by binding exogenous bacterial enterotoxins and the endogenous peptide hormone agonists, guanylin and uroguanylin, which facilitates production of the second messenger cGMP (3-5). GUCY2C signaling plays a critical role in regulating the metabolism, proliferation, and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells. These processes are critical for epithelial barrier renewal, water, and ion balance (6-8). Research studies have shown that the GUCY2C signaling axis functions to suppress intestinal tumorigenesis, in part, by restraining AKT activity (9,10). Lesions in the GUCY2C signaling axis that frequently contribute to cellular transformation are associated with a loss of expression of its endogenous ligands, which promotes a compensatory increase in GUCY2C expression. Indeed, GUCY2C expression is maintained in a high percentage of primary and metastatic human colorectal tumors, which has raised interest in therapeutically targeting this receptor (11,12).