Frontiers in Physiology (Nov 2013)

pH sensing via bicarbonate-regulated ‘soluble’ adenylyl cyclase (sAC)

  • Nawreen eRahman,
  • Jochen eBuck,
  • Lonny Ray Levin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2013.00343
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4

Abstract

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Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is a source of the second messenger cyclic adenosine 3',5' monophosphate (cAMP). sAC is directly regulated by bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions. In living cells, HCO3- ions are in nearly instantaneous equilibrium with carbon dioxide (CO2) and pH due to the ubiquitous presence of carbonic anhydrases. Numerous biological processes are regulated by CO2, HCO3-, and/or pH, and in a number of these, sAC has been shown to function as a physiological CO2/HCO3/pH sensor. In this review, we detail the known pH sensing functions of sAC, and we discuss two highly-studied, pH-dependent pathways in which sAC might play a role.

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