Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Exploring The Mechanisms Of Pkg1-Α Activation By Synthetic Peptides, Connor Cronin

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinases (PKG’s) are essential signaling macromolecules which play a pivotal role in vascular physiology and smooth muscle tone regulation. As principle downstream effectors of the secondary messenger cyclic 3’, 5’-guanosine-monophosphate (cGMP), PKG isoforms are expressed in high levels in all types of smooth muscle cells. The broad range of cellular functions effected by PKG include platelet aggregation, hypertrophy, apoptosis, neuronal plasticity, gene expression, differentiation, vasorelaxation, vascular remodeling, calcium homeostasis, and cardiac function. Recently, a newly characterized helical switch domain within the alpha isoform of PKG (PKG1-α) has led to the development of S1.1, a novel cGMP-independent peptide …