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A wide spectrum of ligands, including hormones, autacoids, drugs and toxins, have cGMP as their common mediator in eliciting diverse physiological responses. Signal transduction pathways leading to these physiological responses can be composed of any of multiple types of soluble and particulate guanylyl cyclases which catalyze cGMP synthesis, and any of an array of cGMP mediators, including cGMP gated ion channels, cGMP-regulated phosphodiesterases, and cGMP-dependent protein kinases which carry out cGMP actions. The spectrum of cGMP-regulated events includes the retinal rod response to light, olfactory reception, steroidogenesis, renal and intestinal ion transport, and cellular calcium movements important for platelet aggregation, and cardiac and smooth muscle contractility. Furthermore, overactivity at certain steps in the signal transduction pathway has been correlated with conditions such as …