Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:1.6.99.1 (NADPH-diaphorase)
 3,903 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Two isoforms of the enzyme heme oxygenase are expressed in distinct populations of neurons in the brain. These enzymes catalyse the oxidative cleavage of heme to the cellular antioxidant biliverdin resulting in the release of carbon monoxide in the process. Both heme and carbon monoxide may play important roles in regulating the nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate signal transduction system. Thus we have examined the distributions of both isoforms of heme oxygenase in the rat brain, and compared their localizations with that of nitric oxide synthase determined with the NADPH-diaphorase histochemical technique. Heme oxygenase-1 is highly expressed in a few select populations of neurons including cells in the hilus of the dentate gyrus, in the hypothalamus, cerebellum and brainstem. This enzyme appears to be coexpressed with nitric oxide synthase only in a few cells in the dentate gyrus. Heme oxygenase-2 is much more widely expressed. It is present in mitral cells in the olfactory bulb, pyramidal cells in the cortex and hippocampus, granule cells in the dentate gyrus, many neurons in the thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum and caudal brainstem. However, only some of these labelled neurons also displayed nitric oxide synthase. Instead, many neurons expressing heme oxygenase-2 correspond to those known to express high levels of the hemoprotein soluble guanylyl cyclase. These results suggest that heme oxygenase may play a role in modulating guanylyl cyclase independent of nitric oxide synthase. This may result from regulation of intracellular heme and carbon monoxide levels by the heme oxygenase system.
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PMID:Brain heme oxygenase isoenzymes and nitric oxide synthase are co-localized in select neurons. 753 81

Western blot analysis using several antibodies showed that rat spinal cord contained abundant immunostainable heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) and barely detectable levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Anti-HO-2 antibody stained large anterior horn motoneurones and numerous smaller neurons throughout spinal cord gray matter including the dorsal root entry zone. HO-2+ astrocytes were not evident in gray matter although their presence cannot be ruled out. The distribution of HO-2+ neurons was compared with the distribution of cells containing NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity, a marker for nitric oxide synthase. NADPH-d activity was restricted to far fewer neurons, many of which were close to the central canal and dorsal root entry zone.
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PMID:Differential localization of heme oxygenase and NADPH-diaphorase in spinal cord neurons. 763 2

There is increasing evidence that carbon monoxide (CO), like nitric oxide (NO), may be a neuronal messenger molecule. This study investigated the expression of heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2), the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of CO, by intracardiac neurones. Many, if not all newborn guinea-pig intracardiac neurones in culture were HO-2-immunoreactive. Furthermore, double labelling showed that a relatively small subpopulation of these neurones also expressed NO synthase/nicotinamide dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase (NOS/NADPH-d) activity. These findings suggest that intracardiac neurones can synthesize CO and that CO may be fundamental to their function. Comparison of the proportions of intracardiac neurones that contain HO-2 with those that express NOS/NADPH-d activity also indicates that CO may be more important than NO in the intrinsic neuronal control of the heart.
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PMID:Heme oxygenase-2 and nitric oxide synthase in guinea-pig intracardiac neurones. 914 Oct 89

It has recently been suggested that, in addition to nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) is an important gaseous messenger which might be involved in vertebrate olfactory transduction because its effects include activation of guanylyl cyclase and the formation of cGMP. As there is no information regarding the presence of heme oxygenase-2 -- the constitutive isoform of the heme oxygenase system -- in olfactory neurons of non-rodent species, we have investigated the distribution pattern of heme oxygenase-2 in the olfactory epithelium of the bovine, a representative of macrosmatics. Localization of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity of the olfactory epithelium was compared with heme oxygenase-2 and NO synthase (NOS) immunoreactivities in order to obtain possible hints at functional significance. NADPH-d activity was particularly intense in apical dendrites of receptor neurons. It was also found in Bowman glands and intraepithelial duct cells. Less intense, discrete NADPH-d activity was present also at intermediate and basal levels of the olfactory epithelium, corresponding to the layer of receptor neuron somata and basal cells. While heme oxygenase-2 activity mainly occurred in neuronal perikarya, a very intense NOS immunoreactivity, exclusively for the inducible isoform, was detected in the apical dendrites. Ultrastructurally, NADPH-d histochemistry showed distinct labelling of membranes, in particular of endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and nucleus. The coincident localization of the moderate NADPH-d activity and heme oxygenase-2 immunoreactivity in receptor cell perikarya suggest a functional association between NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and heme oxygenase-2. In contrast, dendritic localization of NADPH-d activity is topically and possibly functionally related to the presence of the inducible isoform of NOS. The results suggest that both CO and NO may be generated in bovine receptor neurons and thus involved in odorant stimulation. Based on immunocytochemical localization of synthesizing enzymes, NO might be regarded as a direct regulator of transduction related processes while CO might act as a modulator of the initial signal.
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PMID:Heme oxygenase-2 and nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity of bovine olfactory receptor neurons and a comparison with the distribution of NADPH-diaphorase staining. 1094 53

The similarities between heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) and nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the transient expression of nNOS during development led us to investigate whether both systems are similarly affected by changes that occur during development and by regional differences along the small intestine. By combining NADPH diaphorase histochemistry and HO-2 immunohistochemistry on whole-mount preparations and by using stereologic methods, a qualitative and quantitative description of HO-2 and nNOS expression was obtained. Examinations were carried out on the small intestine of fetal, 1-2-day and 5-6-week-old pigs. In all age groups, three enteric plexuses were distinguished. The presence of HO-2-immunoreactive (HO-2-IR) and NADPH diaphorase-positive neurons corresponded to earlier morphological and physiological reports. Nevertheless, the total number of nitrergic neurons remained constant or decreased in the enteric plexuses, whereas the total number of HO-2-IR neurons displayed an overall increase. Changing concentrations of glucocorticoids, target-derived signals, presynaptic input, and an effect of HO-2 activity on nNOS synthesis are likely to play roles in the observed developmental changes. The numerical density of HO-2-IR neurons remained relatively constant along the intestinal tract; in contrast, the nitrergic neurons were most numerous in the inner submucous and myenteric plexus in the duodenum and ileum, respectively. It is believed that the duodenal nitrergic neurons in the inner submucous plexus could be involved in the regulation of duodenal secretion processes, whereas the region-dependent density in the myenteric plexus possibly forms the morphological basis for a regionally different participation of NO in the relaxation of the small intestine.
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PMID:Stereologic description of the changing expression of constitutive nitric oxide synthase and heme oxygenase in the enteric plexuses of the pig small intestine during development. 1147 1

There exists much parallelism between carbon monoxide- and nitric oxide-generating systems. Therefore, we wondered whether developmental and functional differences along the duodenum similarly affect, part of them, namely, heme oxygenase-2-(HO-2) and neural isoform of nitric oxide synthase- (nNOS) expressing neurons. By applying NADPH diaphorase histochemistry and HO-2 immunohistochemistry on whole-mount preparations and by using stereologic methods, a qualitative and quantitative description of HO-2 and nNOS expression was obtained. Examinations were carried out on the duodenum of fetal, neonatal and weaned pigs. At all ages, three enteric plexuses were readily distinguished. The presence of both enzymes fits in with other morphological and physiological reports. However, the expression of both enzymes significantly changed during development. The number of HO-2-IR neurons increased approximately 20-fold in the inner submucous and almost doubled in the myenteric plexus. In addition, the number of nNOS-expressing neurons displayed a significant decrease in the outer submucous plexus after weaning. High levels of glucocorticoids may cause the perinatally increased HO-2 expression, whereas an influence on nNOS expression is doubtful. Therefore, it seems that notwithstanding the high similarity between both systems, their expression is regulated differently in the pig duodenum.
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PMID:Developmental changes in heme-oxygenase-2 and bNOS expression in enteric neurons in the pig duodenum. 1151 97