Nitric oxide (NO) and NO synthase (NOS) play controversial roles in pancreatic secretion. NOS inhibition reduces CCK-stimulated in vivo pancreatic secretion, but it is unclear which NOS isoform is responsible, because NOS inhibitors lack specificity and three NOS isoforms exist: neuronal (nNOS), endothelial (eNOS), and inducible (iNOS). Mice having individual NOS gene deletions were used to cla...

Pumilio (Pum) is a translational repressor that binds selectively to target mRNAs and recruits Nanos (Nos) as a corepressor. In the larval neuromuscular system, Pum represses expression of the translation factor eIF-4E and the glutamate receptor subunit GluRIIA. Here, we show that Nos, like Pum, is expressed at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and in neuronal cell bodies. Surprisingly, however,...

Intracellular mRNA localization is a conserved mechanism for spatially regulating protein production in polarized cells, such as neurons. The mRNA encoding the translational repressor Nanos (Nos) forms ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles that are dendritically localized in Drosophila larval class IV dendritic arborization (da) neurons. In nos mutants, class IV da neurons exhibit reduced dendritic...

We have cloned and characterized the expression of a nanos homologue (designated Ttu-nos) from the oligochaete annelid Tubifex tubifex. Ttu-nos mRNA is distributed broadly throughout the early cleavage stages. Ttu-nos is expressed in most if not all of the early blastomeres, in which Ttu-nos RNA associates with pole plasms. Ttu-nos transcripts are concentrated to 2d and 4d cells. Shortly after ...

Amyloid beta protein (Abeta) in Alzheimer's disease induces oxidative stress through several mechanisms, including stimulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity. We examined NOS activity and expression in the senescence-accelerated mouse P8 (SAMP8) line. The SAMP8 strain develops with aging cognitive impairments, increases in Abeta, and oxidative stress, all reversed by amyloid precursor ...

Histochemical activity and immunoreactivity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS, EC 1.14.13.39) have been recently demonstrated in human lung epithelium. However, the molecular nature of NOS and the regulation and function of the enzyme(s) in the airway is not known. A549 cells (human alveolar type II epithelium-like), BEAS 2B cells (transformed human bronchial epithelial cells), and primary cultures...

Besides oxidizing L-arginine, neuronal NO synthase (NOS) NADPH-dependently reduces various electron acceptors, including cytochrome c and tetrazolium salts. The latter NADPH diaphorase reaction is used as a NOS-specific histochemical stain. Both reductase activities have been utilized to analyse electron transfer mechanisms within NOS. Basal L-arginine turnover by homodimeric NOS is enhanced by...

Thenitricoxidesynthases (NOS)area familyof relatedenzymeswhich regulate the production of NO, a free radical gas Implicated in a wide variety of biological processes.Vasodilatlon and increased tumor blood flow, increasedvascularpermeability,modulationof host tumoricidal activity, and free radical injury to tumor cells and adjacent normal tissues are pathophyslological features of malignant tumo...