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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
 630,302 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pulmonary arterial microvascular smooth muscle function governs many aspects of lung physiology and pathophysiology. Acutely, microvascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) modulate pulmonary vascular resistance; chronically, they contribute to vascular remodeling. Recent work has also suggested a possible immune function for pulmonary smooth muscle through cytokine-stimulated nitric oxide production. To facilitate study of the mechanisms underlying these functions, we have developed methods for isolating pulmonary arterial microvessels from the rat and culturing SMC from these vessels. The pulmonary arterial circulation was filled with a suspension of iron oxide in agar, and a subpleural tissue sample was obtained. The vessels were cleared of surrounding lung parenchyma by partial collagenase digestion, and the iron-containing arteries were separated magnetically. The diameter of the harvested arteries confirmed an intraacinar origin, and the cultured cells expressed smooth muscle isoforms of alpha-actin and myosin but did not take up acetylated low density lipoprotein. To assess a possible immune effector role for these cells, confluent monolayers were stimulated with cytokines and endotoxin. At 24 h, immunofluorescent staining for inducible nitric oxide synthase was prominent within these cells. Nitric oxide production, as measured by nitrite levels in the cell-conditioned medium, was also markedly elevated but reduced by adding NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. We conclude that rat pulmonary arterial microvascular SMC can be obtained by the iron oxide infusion method and that these cells express an inducible nitric oxide synthase after cytokine stimulation.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1994 Jun
PMID:Culture of pulmonary microvascular smooth muscle cells from intraacinar arteries of the rat: characterization and inducible production of nitric oxide. 751 71

Alveolar macrophages (AM) exposed to cytokines or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produce the free radical nitric oxide (NO.) by an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). They also release reactive oxygen free radicals following exposure to silica dust. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether NO. is produced by rat AM and/or recruited leukocytes following the intratracheal (IT) instillation of silica. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (175 to 225 g) were IT instilled with either silica dust (10 mg/100 g body wt) or LPS (0.25 mg/100 g body wt). After 24 h, bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALC) and lavaged lung tissue were assayed for iNOS mRNA. Cell counts of BALC and iNOS-dependent (N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester [L-NAME]-inhibitable) chemiluminescence generated by AM were also determined. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the steady-state levels of BALC iNOS mRNA were significantly increased by 3-fold following IT silica and by 7-fold following IT LPS. Partially enriched fractions of either AM or leukocytes from silica-treated rats both exhibited significantly elevated iNOS mRNA in Northern analysis. iNOS-dependent chemiluminescence was significantly increased in AM by 36-fold following IT silica and by 89-fold following IT LPS. Differential counts of BALC showed that AM numbers did not change in any of the treatments; however, red blood cells increased by 30-fold following IT silica and by 23-fold following IT LPS. Total leukocytes (polymorphonuclear leukocytes plus lymphocytes) increased by 58-fold following IT silica and by 274-fold following IT LPS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1994 Oct
PMID:Intratracheal instillation of silica up-regulates inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression and increases nitric oxide production in alveolar macrophages and neutrophils. 752 85

Nitric oxide, a radical generated by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), may be an important mediator of beta-cell damage in early insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. We have investigated the molecular regulation of iNOS in insulin-producing RINm5F cells. The data obtained suggest that iNOS is maximally induced in these cells by a 6-h exposure to IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma, but not by endotoxin. iNOS mRNA degradation is rapid and it is not affected by IL-1 beta. Interestingly, NO seems to induce a negative feedback on iNOS expression, probably by decreasing iNOS transcription.
Mol Cell Endocrinol 1994 Dec
PMID:Studies on the molecular regulation of the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in insulin-producing cells. 753 33

We have identified two novel potent and selective inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase, S-ethylisothiourea and 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,3-thiazine. Ki values of 14.7 nM for S-ethylisothiourea and 4.2 nM for 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,3-thiazine were obtained with partially purified preparations of inducible nitric oxide synthase. These compounds demonstrate about 1000-fold greater potency than prototypical inhibitors, and the inhibitions are 10-40-fold more selective for murine inducible nitric oxide synthase, compared with the rat neuronal and bovine endothelial isoforms of nitric oxide synthase. These compounds also potently inhibit the nitric oxide synthase activity in intact J774 mouse macrophages. The inhibition is competitive with the substrate L-arginine and reversible in both enzymatic and intact cell assays. These potent and selective inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase may have potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Mol Pharmacol 1995 Apr
PMID:Novel potent and selective inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase. 753 89

Products of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are known to be involved in lung injury following intrapulmonary deposition of immunoglobulin G immune complexes (IgG-ICx). In the current studies rat alveolar macrophages stimulated in vitro with murine interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 alpha, (IL-1 alpha), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or IgG-ICx immunostained for iNOS and produced nitrite/nitrate- (NO2-/NO3-) in a dose- and time-dependent manner requiring availability of L-arginine. Under the same conditions, IL-4 and IL-10 reduced NO2-/NO3- generation. Type II alveolar epithelial cells, which were obtained from normal rat lungs and stimulated in vitro with IgG-ICx, LPS, or IFN-gamma, also immunostained for iNOS and generated NO2-/NO3-. Special techniques of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were used to retrieve alveolar macrophages and type II alveolar epithelial cells. Under these conditions, intrapulmonary deposition of LPS yielded BAL fluids containing increased amounts of NO2-/NO3- and macrophages that spontaneously released NO2-/NO3- and stained for iNOS. After intrapulmonary deposition of IgG both macrophages as well as type II cells (retrieved by BAL) spontaneously produced NO2-/NO3- and both cell types immunostained for iNOS (approximately 20% of all type II cells and 35% of all alveolar macrophages). Using dual fluorescence staining for cell identification, frozen sections of lung tissue after IgG immune complex deposition revealed iNOS in both alveolar macrophages and type II cells. Finally, in the immune complex model of alveolitis, the appearance of iNOS in macrophages as well as macrophage production in vitro of NO2-/NO3- was dependent on the in vivo availability of tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-1, and IFN-gamma. These studies suggest a dual cell source for nitric oxide in inflamed lungs and the requirements for iNOS of several cytokines.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1995 Jun
PMID:Lung sources and cytokine requirements for in vivo expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase. 753 74

We investigated the effect of intratracheal (i.t.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on alveolar macrophage release of nitric oxide. Mice received i.t. LPS at doses ranging from 1 to 100 micrograms/100 g body weight and were killed at serial intervals for bronchoalveolar lavage. Control mice received i.t. phosphate-buffered saline. We found that after i.t. LPS, there was an early (1 to 3 days) influx of neutrophils followed by a later (5 to 7 days) influx of macrophages into the lungs. Alveolar macrophages lavaged from mice given i.t. LPS did not spontaneously release nitric oxide (measured as nitrite), but the capacity of these cells to release nitric oxide in vitro in response to interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) or LPS was markedly upregulated. Alveolar macrophages lavaged from mice given i.t. LPS but not i.t. phosphate-buffered saline also expressed mRNA for inducible nitric oxide synthase as measured by semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. To investigate possible mechanisms for cellular priming for increased nitric oxide release after i.t. LPS, mice were depleted of CD4+ lymphocytes with an anti-CD4 antibody. Alveolar macrophages from CD4-depleted mice given i.t. LPS released significantly less nitric oxide in vitro in comparison to macrophages from nondepleted mice. Additional mice were treated with neutralizing doses of anti-tumor necrosis factor or anti-IFN-gamma antibody before i.t. LPS. Pretreatment with each cytokine antibody decreased but did not eliminate macrophage priming for nitric oxide release after i.t. LPS. We conclude that intratracheal LPS induces mRNA for nitric oxide synthase in alveolar macrophages, priming the cells for increased release of nitric oxide in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1995 Jul
PMID:Regulation of nitric oxide release by macrophages after intratracheal lipopolysaccharide. 754 Dec 22

Acute inhalation of toxic doses of ozone (O3) induces macrophage accumulation in the lung and the release of cytotoxic and proinflammatory mediators. To evaluate the role of macrophages and their mediators in the pathophysiologic response of the lung to O3, we examined the effects of the macrophage inhibitor, gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), on O3-induced inflammation, mediator production, and lavage fluid protein levels. Rats were pretreated with GdCl3 (7 mg/kg, intravenously) or control 24 h prior to exposure to air or O3 (2 parts per million, 3 h). Animals were killed 48 h after exposure. GdCl3 pretreatment of rats was found to abrogate O3-induced increases in the number of cells, as well as the amount of protein recovered in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Following GdCl3 pretreatment of rats, lung lavage cells consisting of > 90% macrophages were found to produce significantly less nitric oxide and express less inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) when compared to cells from rats exposed to O3. O3-induced alterations in superoxide anion production by alveolar macrophages, both in vitro and in situ, were also attenuated by GdCl3 pretreatment of rats. In addition, increases in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and fibronectin in lung tissue induced by O3 were reduced. Taken together, these data provide support for the hypothesis that macrophages contribute to the pathogenesis of O3-induced lung injury.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1995 Aug
PMID:Inhibition of macrophages with gadolinium chloride abrogates ozone-induced pulmonary injury and inflammatory mediator production. 754 94

Increasing evidence indicates that T cell-dependent, interferon gamma (IFN gamma)-induced activation of murine macrophages and nitric oxide (NO) production plays an important role in host defenses against many microorganisms. A role for this mechanism in pulmonary defenses against infectious agents has not been examined. Previous studies demonstrated that both CD4 and CD8 T cells were required for lung clearance of encapsulated Cryptococcus neoformans (Cne). The current studies investigated whether IFN gamma-induced NO production was involved in the protective T cell-mediated immune response against Cne. Intratracheal inoculation of a low-virulence strain of Cne into mice resulted in an infection that was progressively cleared in immunocompetent C.B-17, but not severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. The onset of Cne lung clearance in immunocompetent mice coincided with a marked increase in inflammatory cells in the lung, local expression of IFN gamma-inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) messenger RNA (mRNA), and an increase in systemic NO production as measured by urinary nitrate excretion. None of these changes were observed in infected SCID mice. Inflammatory lung cells isolated from Cne-infected C.B-17 mice inhibited the growth of endogenous Cne in vitro by a NO-dependent mechanism. Moreover, lung clearance of Cne in immunocompetent mice was blocked by treatment with (1) antibody to IFN gamma, which blocked iNOS gene expression and NO production, or (2) the arginine analogue, NGmonomethyl-L-arginine (MMA), which only blocked NO production. However, neither anti-IFN gamma nor MMA treatment decreased the numbers or types of recruited inflammatory cells. Thus, these studies demonstrated that, although recruitment of effector cells was required, it was not sufficient to initiate clearance of Cne from the lung. Rather, an IFN gamma-induced effector mechanism, i.e., NO production, was also required.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1995 Jul
PMID:A role for gamma interferon-induced nitric oxide in pulmonary clearance of Cryptococcus neoformans. 759 35

We recently reported (Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 7: 471-476, 1992) that a mixture of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cytokines produced a time-dependent increase in mRNA and protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cultured rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (RPASM). In the current study we extend observations on regulation of iNOS in RPASM by showing that de novo synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is critical for LPS and cytokine-induced NO production. A mixture of LPS and the cytokines gamma-interferon, interleukin-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha increased steady-state levels of mRNA of GTP-cyclohydrolase-I (GTP-CH), the rate-limiting enzyme in BH4 biosynthesis. Levels of mRNA to GTP-CH became detectable by 4 h, with further increases at 24 h by Northern blot analysis and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Total intracellular biopterin levels, undetectable under basal conditions, increased after 24 h exposure to LPS and cytokines (to 32.3 +/- 0.8 pmol/mg protein). LPS and cytokine-induced NO production, determined by nitrite concentrations in the medium, was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner by the GTP-CH inhibitor, 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine (DAHP) at 24 h. DAHP also inhibited completely the LPS- and cytokine-induced accumulation of intracellular biopterins. Sepiapterin, which supplies BH4 through a salvage pathway independent of GTP-CH, reversed the effect of DAHP on LPS and cytokine-induced NO production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis and inducible nitric oxide production in pulmonary artery smooth muscle. 780 62

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment results in widespread expression of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS). Although there is evidence for the expression of iNOS in heart tissue, regulation of myocardial iNOS expression is not known. To determine the time course and degree of iNOS induction in the adult heart, we examined iNOS mRNA expression and enzyme activity in (1) rat left ventricular tissue after LPS treatment in vivo, and (2) cultured, long-term rat cardiac myocytes maintained in serum and exposed to interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, and/or LPS. iNOS mRNA was detected by Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. iNOS enzyme activity was measured in extracts of whole heart, and nitrate and nitrite (the stable end-products of NO) accumulation was quantified in cardiomyocyte culture media. iNOS mRNA was not detected in untreated hearts or cultured myocytes but was apparent within 3 h in both hearts obtained from LPS-treated animals and in cytokine-treated myocytes. In whole heart, iNOS mRNA expression peaked by 6 h after LPS and declined by 12 and 24 h. In situ hybridization demonstrated perinuclear localization of iNOS mRNA in both cardiac vascular smooth muscle and myocytes with maximal expression at 6 h after LPS injection. In cardiac myocytes, iNOS expression was maximal at 12 to 24 h, persisted through 48 h, and was partially inhibited by dexamethasone. Interferon-gamma was the most potent single cytokine with regards to myocyte iNOS induction. Nitric oxide release in cytokine-stimulated cardiac myocytes was largely in the form of nitrate and was associated with increased glucose uptake and lactate release; the former finding indicates that NO interacts with myocardial heme proteins and/or oxyradicals, while the latter suggests inhibition of oxidative metabolism. Although non-myocardial cells may significantly contribute to iNOS expression in whole heart tissue, significant iNOS expression and NO production also take place within the myocyte. Induced NO production may regulate myocardial perfusion and impair myocardial function and metabolism.
J Mol Cell Cardiol 1995 Sep
PMID:Characterization of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in endotoxemic rat cardiac myocytes in vivo and following cytokine exposure in vitro. 852 61


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