Challenging the Norm: The Unrecognized Impact of Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase Subunits in Cancer.

Since the discovery of nitric oxide (NO), a long journey has led us to the present, during which much knowledge has been gained about its pathway members and their roles in physiological and various pathophysiological conditions. Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), the main NO receptor composed of the sGCα1 and sGCβ1 subunits, has been one of the central figures in this narrative. However, the sGCα1 and sGCβ1 subunits remained obscured by the focus on sGC's enzymatic activity for many years.

Soluble guanylyl cyclase beta1 subunit targets epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and downregulates Akt pathway in human endometrial and cervical cancer cells.

Endometrial and cervical cancer are among the most frequently diagnosed malignancies globally. Nitric oxide receptor-soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is a heterodimeric enzyme composed of two subunits, α1 and β1. Previously we showed that sGCα1 subunit promotes cell survival, proliferation, and migration, but the role of sGCβ1 subunit has not been addressed.