A correlation exists between the ability of tumor cells to aggregate platelets and their tendency to metastasize. Tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) facilitates the embolization of the vasculature with tumor cells and the formation of metastatic foci. It is well documented that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an integral part in tumor spread and the metastatic cascade. Theref...

In cultured rat cerebellar granule cells, glutamate or N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) activation of the NMDA receptor caused a sustained increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels ([Ca(2+)](i)), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and cell death (respective EC(50) values for glutamate were 12, 30, and 38 microM) but no increase in caspase-3 activity. Removal of extracellular Ca(2+) blocked all thre...

It has recently been established that nitrosoglutathione is the preferred substrate of the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase from divergent organisms. Trypanosomatids produce not only glutathione, but also glutathionylspermidine, trypanothione and ovothiol A. The formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity of Crithidia fasciculata was independent of these thiols and extracts possessed ve...

We recently reported a novel CD8 molecule on rat alveolar macrophages and peritoneal mast cells (PMC). However, little is known about the regulation of CD8 expression and function on these cells. We investigated the regulation of CD8 expression on PMC by NO, because NO can regulate inflammatory responses and also because anti-CD8 Ab stimulates inducible NO synthase and NO production by PMC and ...

The reactive cysteines in H-ras are subject to oxidative modifications that potentially alter the cellular function of this protein. In this study, purified H-ras was modified by thiol oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), S-nitrosoglutathione, diamide, glutathione disulphide (GSSG) and cystamine, producing as many as four charge-isomeric forms of the protein. These results suggest tha...

OBJECTIVE Cyclic GMP has been shown to be in some respects an inhibitory modulator of heart function. Various studies on the modulation of cardiac L-type calcium current (ICa) by cGMP in different species show inconsistency and the role of cGMP remains unclear and controversial. The present study was focused on the differences in the modulation of basal ICa by cGMP in adult and newborn rabbit v...

Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprophytic mold that can cause life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. In the lung, inhaled conidia are confronted with immune effector cells that attack the fungus by various mechanisms such as phagocytosis, production of antimicrobial proteins or generation of reactive oxygen intermediates. Macrophages and neutrophils can also form nitric oxide (...

Nozik-Grayck, Eva, Erin J. Whalen, Jonathan S. Stamler, Timothy J. McMahon, Pasquale Chitano, and Claude A. Piantadosi. S-nitrosoglutathione inhibits 1-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasoconstriction and ligand binding in pulmonary artery. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 290: L136–L143, 2006. First published August 26, 2005; doi:10.1152/ajplung.00230.2005.—Endogenous nitric oxide donor compoun...