Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Pivot Concepts:
Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Target Concepts:
Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Query: EC:4.6.1.2 (
guanylate cyclase
)
8,497
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator of physiologic and inflammatory processes in the lung. To better understand the role of NO in the airway, we examined constitutive
NO synthase
(
NOS
) gene expression and function in NCI-H441 human bronchiolar epithelial cells, which are believed to be of Clara cell lineage.
NOS
activity was detected by [3H]arginine to [3H]citrulline conversion (1,070 +/- 260 fmol/mg protein per minute); enzyme activity was inhibited 91% by EGTA, consistent with the expression of a calcium-dependent
NOS
isoform. Immunoblot analyses with antisera directed against neuronal, inducible, or endothelial
NOS
revealed expression solely of endothelial
NOS
protein. Immunocytochemistry for endothelial
NOS
revealed staining predominantly in the cell periphery, consistent with the association of this isoform with the cellular membrane. To definitively identify the
NOS
isoform expressed in H441 cells,
NOS
cDNA was obtained by degenerate PCR. Sequencing of the H441
NOS
cDNA revealed 100% identity with human endothelial
NOS
at the amino acid level. Furthermore, the H441
NOS
cDNA hybridized to a single 4.7-kb mRNA species in poly(A)+ RNA isolated from H441 cells, from rat, sheep, and pig lung, and from ovine endothelial cells, coinciding with the predicted size of 4.7 kb for endothelial
NOS
mRNA. Guanylyl cyclase activity in H441 cells, assessed by measuring cGMP accumulation, rose 6.6- and 5.4-fold with calcium-mediated activation of
NOS
by thapsigargin and A23187, respectively. These findings indicate that endothelial
NOS
is expressed in select bronchiolar epithelial cells, where it may have autocrine effects through activation of
guanylyl cyclase
. Based on these observations and the previous identification of endothelial
NOS
in a kidney epithelial cell line, it is postulated that endothelial
NOS
may be expressed in unique subsets of epithelial cells in a variety of organs, serving to modulate ion flux and/or secretory function.
...
PMID:Endothelial nitric oxide synthase is expressed in cultured human bronchiolar epithelium. 752 28
Reactive oxygen intermediates modulate skeletal muscle contraction, but little is known about the role of nitric oxide (NO). Here we show that rat skeletal muscle expresses neuronal-type
NO synthase
and that activity varies among several respiratory and limb muscles. Immunohistochemistry showed prominent staining of type II (fast) fibre cell membranes with antibodies against neuronal-type
NO synthase
.
NO synthase
activity in muscles correlated with type II fibre density. Resting diaphragm muscle produced detectable NO chi, but no reactive oxygen intermediates. In contrast, actively contracting muscle generated increased levels of reactive oxygen intermediates. Contractile function was augmented by blockers of
NO synthase
, extracellular NO chelation, and
guanylyl cyclase
inhibition; it was depressed by NO donors and by increased levels of cyclic GMP. Force-frequency plots of different muscles showed an inverse correlation between
NO synthase
activity and force development. Our results support two physiological functions of NO in skeletal muscle. The first is to promote relaxation through the cGMP pathway. The second is to modulate increases in contraction that are dependent on reactive oxygen intermediates and which are thought to occur through reactions with regulatory thiols on the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
...
PMID:Nitric oxide in skeletal muscle. 799 Sep 20
The present investigation describes the antinociceptive effect of capsaicin in the acetic acid-induced abdominal stretch assay and its mediation by substance P(1-7) fragment [SP(1-7)] and nitric oxide (NO). When injected intrathecally 24 hr before testing, SP(1-7) produced a dose-related decrease in the number of abdominal stretches induced by an i.p. injection of acetic acid. The antinociceptive effect of SP(1-7) (10 nmol) persisted for 62 hr after its injection, a time course that was similar to that produced by a dose of capsaicin (2.6 nmol) that produced an effect of similar magnitude. Antinociception induced by 10 nmol of SP(1-7) was completely reversed by coadministration of 10 nmol of D-SP(1-7); the equivalent antinociception produced by capsaicin was reversed by as small a dose as 1 nmol of D-SP(1-7). The
guanylate cyclase
inhibitor, methylene blue, at a dose of 10 nmol, prevented both SP(1-7)- and capsaicin-induced antinociception. Capsaicin-induced, but not SP(1-7)-induced, antinociception was prevented by Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, an
NO synthase
inhibitor. This inhibition of capsaicin was reversed by coadministration of 120 nmol of L-arginine. Reduced hemoglobin did not prevent capsaicin-induced antinociception. These findings suggest NO is produced and acts within capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent fibers in the dorsal spinal cord to mobilize substance P, resulting in N-terminal induced-antinociception.
...
PMID:Substance P N-terminal metabolites and nitric oxide mediate capsaicin-induced antinociception in the adult mouse. 752 54
Treatment of rat cerebellar astrocyte-enriched primary cultures with dexamethasone enhances the nitric oxide-dependent cyclic GMP formation induced by noradrenaline in a time-(> 6 h) and concentration-dependent manner (half-maximal effect at 1 nM). Stimulation of cyclic GMP formation by the calcium ionophore A23187 is similarly enhanced. In contrast, cyclic GMP accumulation in cells treated with lipopolysaccharide is inhibited by dexamethasone. The potentiating effect of dexamethasone is prevented by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and is not due to increased soluble
guanylate cyclase
activity. Agonist stimulation of [3H]arginine to [3H]citrulline conversion is enhanced by dexamethasone in astrocytes but not in cerebellar granule cells. These results indicate that glucocorticoids may up-regulate astroglial calcium-dependent
nitric oxide synthase
while preventing expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and are the first report of a differential long-term regulation of the expression of neuronal and astroglial constitutive nitric oxide synthase activities.
...
PMID:Dexamethasone up-regulates a constitutive nitric oxide synthase in cerebellar astrocytes but not in granule cells in culture. 752 66
We addressed the controversial role of nitric oxide (NO) in bronchial function by an immunohistochemical study of the localization of
NO synthase
(
NOS
) and its effector protein, soluble
guanylate cyclase
, in rat bronchus. For this study, a monoclonal antibody to the bovine constitutive neuronal
NOS
was developed and characterized. In Western blot analysis, this monoclonal antibody (anti-
NOS
antibody) reacted with bovine cerebellum
NOS
(150 kDa) as well as with structurally different NOSs from cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (130 kDa) and cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages (130 kDa). The reactivity of anti-
NOS
antibody was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of rat cerebellum, arterial endothelial cells, and cultured stimulated macrophages. When the distribution of
NOS
in rat airway was characterized, the anti-
NOS
antibody showed immunoreactivity within respiratory epithelium but not in the bronchial smooth muscle. The
NADPH-diaphorase
staining correlated with the immunostaining. In contrast, a monoclonal antibody to the rat lung-soluble
guanylate cyclase
immunostained respiratory smooth muscle but not epithelium. This study suggests a paracrine role for NO in bronchial function analogous to the function of the
NOS
-soluble
guanylate cyclase
pathway in blood vessels.
...
PMID:Immunohistochemical demonstration of a paracrine role of nitric oxide in bronchial function. 752 82
We investigated the effects of prolonged treatment with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the responses to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in endothelium-denuded rat aortic strips. Incubation of the aortic strips with LPS for 24 h dramatically attenuated relaxation and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) formation by SNP, which were significantly restored by the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production with N omega-nitro-L-arginine. In the aorta coincubated with LPS and protein synthesis inhibitor (dexamethasone or cycloheximide, which prevents induction of endotoxin-inducible
NO synthase
), no attenuation of the relaxation was observed and the cGMP formation was significantly restored. Relaxation response to 8-bromo-cGMP or papaverine was not attenuated, even after 24 h of incubation. These results suggest that the attenuation of SNP responses is mainly associated with a decrease in the activation of
guanylate cyclase
(GC) as a consequence of the prolonged exposure to muscle-derived NO. Moreover SNP in the presence of methylene blue evoked a small but apparent relaxation of 24-h-incubated aorta without significant elevation of cGMP, suggesting the involvement of cGMP-independent pathways in the remaining relaxation produced by SNP.
...
PMID:Attenuation of sodium nitroprusside responses after prolonged incubation of rat aorta with endotoxin. 752 92
The spatial and temporal distribution of soluble guanylyl cyclase and
nitric oxide synthase
mRNA was determined during embryonic and postnatal development of the mouse brain. This was achieved by in situ hybridization of specific probes for soluble beta 1
guanylyl cyclase
subunit and
nitric oxide synthase
mRNA on mouse brain sections at late fetal development (19-day embryo) and different stages of postnatal development (3, 7, 15 days, and adult). In the embryo, soluble guanylyl cyclase transcripts are weakly expressed in the central nervous system. Following birth their expression increases in the striatum and neocortex, and they are widely distributed in the adult brain (layer II and V-VI of the cortex, olfactory bulb, striatum, Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum). In contrast,
nitric oxide synthase
mRNA was expressed in several embryonic structures of the brain (different layers of the cortical neuroepithelium, colliculi neuroepithelium, pons), and markedly reduced at early postnatal stage, except in the accessory olfactory bulb and pediculopontine nuclei. Nitric oxide synthase transcripts progressively appear, within two weeks following birth, in the striatum and the cerebral cortex but they were specifically confined to isolated cells. During this period, this mRNA also increased in hippocampus, in discrete nuclei (hypothalamus, pontine) and in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. The situation in the adult was similar to the one observed at 15 days. These results show a general lack of regional colocalization of soluble guanylyl cyclase and NOS mRNA during ontogeny, thus suggesting an independent regulation of the related genes.
...
PMID:Expression of mouse brain soluble guanylyl cyclase and NO synthase during ontogeny. 752 43
1. The vasodilator effects of hydralazine in vitro, using the Krebs' perfused human placental lobule was studied. Single placental lobules were bilaterally perfused (maternal and fetal sides 5 mL/min each, 95% O2, 5% CO2, 37 degrees C) and changes in fetal arterial pressure (FAP) and venous outflow (VO) were recorded. 2. Submaximal vasoconstriction was induced by KCl (20-50 mmol/L), which increased basal FAP from 22.8 +/- 1.7 to 91.3 +/- 3.9 mmHg (n = 9, P < 0.001), and decreased VO from 4.1 +/- 0.6 to 0.2 +/- 0.1 mL/min (n = 6, P < 0.01). 3. Hydralazine caused vasodilatation (IC50 1.9 mmol/L, n = 9) and increased VO in the presence of KCl-induced vasoconstriction. 4. Infusion of N omega-nitro-L-arginine (100 mumol/L) to block
nitric oxide synthase
caused the basal FAP to increase from 30.9 +/- 5.9 to 47.4 +/- 6.7 (n = 6, P < 0.05) and significantly potentiated hydralazine-induced vasodilatation (n = 7, P < 0.05). 5. The soluble
guanylate cyclase
inhibitor LY 83583 (6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione) (1 mumol/L) significantly antagonized the vasodilatation produced by hydralazine (n = 5, P < 0.05). 6. Thus, Hydralazine appears to activate
guanylate cyclase
, leading to increased cyclic GMP in fetal arterial vascular smooth muscle to cause vasorelaxation. No evidence was obtained to suggest that hydralazine exerted its action by either releasing nitric oxide from endothelial cells in the placenta or acting as a nitric oxide donor.
...
PMID:Effect of inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase on hydralazine-induced vasodilatation of the human fetal placental circulation. 752 52
Endothelium-dependent vasodilation may be impaired during cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Under normal circumstances nitric oxide (NO) released by endothelial cells induces relaxation of smooth muscle by activating the soluble form of
guanylate cyclase
within muscle cells. In this study the levels of both endothelial
NO synthase
, the enzyme that produces NO, and soluble
guanylate cyclase
were determined in canine basilar arteries in a double-hemorrhage model using Western blot immunoassays. Thirty dogs were assigned to three groups: Group D0, control; Group D2, dogs sacrificed 2 days after cisternal injection of blood; and Group D7, dogs given double cisternal injections of blood and sacrificed 7 days after the first injection. Constriction of the basilar artery was confirmed by arterial angiography. Portions of the affected arteries or the corresponding region in control animals were solubilized for sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. A specific monoclonal antibody against endothelial
NO synthase
was used. The extract from basilar arteries showed two bands on the blots: 135 kD, characteristic of endothelial
NO synthase
, and 120 kD, which may be a degradation product of the enzyme. The densitometer values of the bands were presented as percentages of D0 control values. Although the total signal in the D7 group was less than that of the D0 control group (D2, 97% +/- 22%; D7, 78% +/- 40%), it was not statistically significant. The proportion of the 135-kD form decreased between Groups D0 and D7, but the difference was not significant. A single major band corresponding to the alpha-subunit of soluble
guanylate cyclase
was seen at 70 kD in the basilar artery extracts. The signals of D2 and D7 samples were 69% +/- 40% and 25% +/- 18%, respectively. There was a significant difference between D7 and D0 (p < 0.001). The reduced expression of soluble
guanylate cyclase
may be related to the impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in vasospasm.
...
PMID:Nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase levels in canine basilar artery after subarachnoid hemorrhage. 752 2
Nitric oxide synthase-containing cells were visualized in the anterior pituitary gland by immunocytochemistry. Consequently, we began an evaluation of the possible role of NO in the control of anterior pituitary function. Prolactin is normally under inhibitory hypothalamic control, and in vitro the gland secretes large quantities of the hormone. When hemipituitaries were incubated for 30 min in the presence of sodium nitroprusside, a releaser of NO, prolactin release was inhibited. This suppression was completely blocked by the scavenger of NO, hemoglobin. Analogs of arginine, such as NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA, where NG is the terminal guanidino nitrogen) and nitroarginine methyl ester, inhibit
NO synthase
. Incubation of hemipituitaries with either of these compounds significantly increased prolactin release. Since in other tissues most of the actions of NO are mediated by activation of soluble
guanylate cyclase
with the formation of cyclic GMP, we evaluated the effects of cyclic GMP on prolactin release. Cyclic GMP (10 mM) produced an approximately 40% reduction in prolactin release. Prolactin release in vivo and in vitro can be stimulated by several peptides, which include vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and substance P. Consequently, we evaluated the possible role of NO in these stimulations by incubating the glands in the presence of either of these peptides alone or in combination with NMMA. In the case of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, the significant stimulation of prolactin release was augmented by NMMA to give an additive effect. In the case of substance P, there was a smaller but significant release of prolactin that was not significantly augmented by NMMA. We conclude that NO has little effect on the stimulatory action of these two peptides on prolactin release. Dopamine (0.1 microM), an inhibitor of prolactin release, reduced prolactin release, and this inhibitory action was significantly blocked by either hemoglobin (20 micrograms/ml) or NMMA and was completely blocked by 1 mM nitroarginine methyl ester. Atrial natriuretic factor at 1 microM also reduced prolactin release, and its action was completely blocked by NMMA. In contrast to these results with prolactin, luteinizing hormone (LH) was measured in the same medium in which the effect of nitroprusside was tested on prolactin release, there was no effect of nitroprusside, hemoglobin, or the combination of nitroprusside and hemoglobin on luteinizing hormone release. Therefore, in contrast to its inhibitory action on prolactin release NO had no effect on luteinizing hormone release. Immunocytochemical studies by others have shown that
NO synthase
is present in the folliculostellate cells and also the gonadotrophs of the pituitary gland. We conclude that NO produced by either of these cell types may diffuse to the lactotropes, where it can inhibit prolactin release. NO appears to play little role in the prolactin-releasing action of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and substance P, but mediates the prolactin-inhibiting activity of dopamine and atrial natriuretic factor.
...
PMID:Role of nitric oxide in control of prolactin release by the adenohypophysis. 752 11
<< Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10