RGD Reference Report - Roles of accumulated endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, enhanced arginase activity, and attenuated nitric oxide synthase activity in endothelial cells for pulmonary hypertension in rats. - Rat Genome Database

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Roles of accumulated endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, enhanced arginase activity, and attenuated nitric oxide synthase activity in endothelial cells for pulmonary hypertension in rats.

Authors: Sasaki, A  Doi, S  Mizutani, S  Azuma, H 
Citation: Sasaki A, etal., Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007 Jun;292(6):L1480-7. Epub 2007 Feb 23.
RGD ID: 1625578
Pubmed: PMID:17322279   (View Abstract at PubMed)
DOI: DOI:10.1152/ajplung.00360.2006   (Journal Full-text)

Nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). To determine which mechanism exists to affect NO production, we examined the concentration of endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors and their catabolizing enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) activity and protein expression (DDAH1 and DDAH2) in pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) of rats given monocrotaline (MCT). We also measured NOS and arginase activities and NOS protein expression. Twenty-four days after MCT administration, PH and right ventricle (RV) hypertrophy were established. Endothelium-dependent, but not endothelium-independent, relaxation and cGMP production were significantly impaired in pulmonary artery specimens of MCT group. The constitutive NOS activity and protein expression in PAECs were significantly reduced in MCT group, whereas the arginase, which shares l-arginine as a common substrate with NOS, activity was significantly enhanced in PAECs of MCT group. The contents of monomethylarginine (MMA) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), but not symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), were increased in PAECs of MCT group. The DDAH activity and DDAH1, but not DDAH2, protein expression were significantly reduced in PAECs of MCT group. These results suggest that the impairment of cGMP production as a marker of NO production is possibly due to the blunted endothelial NOS activity resulting from the downregulation of endothelial NOS protein, accumulation of endogenous NOS inhibitors, and accelerated arginase activity in PAECs of PH rats. The decreased overall DDAH activity accompanied by the downregulation of DDAH1 would bring about the accumulation of endogenous NOS inhibitors.

Gene Ontology Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

Biological Process
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
arginine metabolic process  IDA 1625578 RGD 

Molecular Function
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
amino acid binding  IDA 1625578 RGD 
dimethylargininase activity  IDA 1625578 RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Ddah1  (dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1)

Objects referenced in this article
Gene Ddah2 DDAH family member 2, ADMA-independent Rattus norvegicus

Additional Information