s-nitrosocysteine and 6-anilino-5-8-quinolinedione

Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in the nervous systems of many vertebrates and invertebrates. We investigated the mechanism of NO action at an identified synapse between a mechanoafferent neuron, C2, and the serotonergic metacerebral cell (MCC) in the cerebral ganglion of the mollusc Aplysia californica. Stimulation of C2 produces a decreasing conductance, very slow EPSP in the MCC. C2 is thought to use histamine and NO as cotransmitters at this synapse, because both agents mimic the membrane responses. Now we provide evidence that treatment with NO donors stimulates soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) in the MCC, and as a result cGMP increases. S-Nitrosocysteine (SNC, an NO donor) and 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP) both induced the membrane depolarization and increase in input resistance that are characteristic of the very slow EPSP. Two inhibitors of sGC, 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinequinone (LY83583) and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4, 3-a]quinoxaline-1-one (ODQ), suppressed both the very slow EPSP and the membrane responses to SNC but not the histamine membrane responses. NO-induced cGMP production was determined in the MCC using cGMP immunocytochemistry (cGMP-IR). In the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), 10 microM SNC was sufficient to induce cGMP-IR, and the staining intensity increased as the SNC dose was increased. This cGMP-IR was suppressed by ODQ in a dose-dependent manner and completely blocked by 10 microM ODQ. Histamine did not induce cGMP-IR. The results suggest that NO stimulates sGC-dependent cGMP synthesis in the MCC and that cGMP mediates the membrane responses. The cotransmitter histamine induces essentially the same membrane responses but seems to use a separate and distinct second messenger pathway.

Topics: 8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Aplysia; Cyclic GMP; Cysteine; Enzyme Inhibitors; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; Ganglia, Invertebrate; Guanylate Cyclase; Immunohistochemistry; Neurons; Nitric Oxide; Nitroso Compounds; Oxadiazoles; Quinoxalines; S-Nitrosothiols; Stimulation, Chemical

The role of intracellular guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate concentration ([cGMP]i) in nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxations in the uterus has become controversial. We found the NO donor S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CysNO) to potently (IC50 = 30 nM) inhibit spontaneous contractions in the nonpregnant human myometrium. CysNO treatment increased [cGMP]i significantly (P < 0.001), and this increase was blocked by the guanylyl cyclase inhibitors methylene blue (10 microM) or LY-83583 (1 microM); however, pretreatment with these guanylyl cyclase inhibitors failed to block CysNO-mediated relaxations. Intracellular cAMP concentrations were not altered by treatment of tissues with 10 microM CysNO. Incubation with the cGMP analogs 8-bromo-cGMP or beta-phenyl-1,N2-etheno-cGMP did not significantly affect spontaneous contractility. Pretreatment of tissues with charybdotoxin [a calcium-dependent potassium channel (BK) blocker] completely reversed CysNO-induced relaxations. We conclude that NO is a potent inhibitor of spontaneous contractile activity in the nonpregnant human uterus and that, although guanylyl cyclase and BK activities are increased by NO, increases in [cGMP]i are not required for NO-induced relaxations in this tissue.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Charybdotoxin; Cyclic GMP; Cysteine; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Methylene Blue; Myometrium; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitroso Compounds; S-Nitrosothiols; Uterine Contraction

1. The effects of isosorbiddinitrate (ISDN) were tested on membrane currents and resting potential in Xenopus laevis oocytes which were either uninjected or injected with cRNA encoding for K+ channels from three distinct families (slowly activating IsK channels, delayed-rectifying Kv1.1 or inwardly rectifying IRK1 K+ channels). 2. In uninjected oocytes ISDN (1 mM) resulted in a decrease of the holding current at potentials more positive than -100 mV and in an increase at potentials below -100 mV. Increasing extracellular K+ to 100 mM shifted the reversal potential for ISDN-mediated effects to approximately -12 mV, suggesting an inhibition of a K+ conductance by ISDN. 3. In current clamp studies ISDN (1 mM) and Ba2+ (3 mM) depolarized cell membrane. ISDN and Ba2+ had no additive effects on membrane potential when applied simultaneously. In voltage clamp studies, corresponding results were observed for the effects of ISDN and Ba2+ on the holding current with an apparent K(m) of 0.21 and 0.08 mM, respectively. 4. In contrast to ISDN, the nitric oxide (NO) donors isosorbidmononitrate (ISMN) and S-nitrosocysteine (SNOC) had no effects on the holding currents in Xenopus oocytes. Moreover, the guanylate inhibitor LY 83583 did not affect ISDN-mediated holding current alterations, suggesting that ISDN acts independently of the second messenger NO. 5. ISDN inhibited exogenously expressed IsK channels with an apparent K(m) of 0.15 mM, but at 1 mM only weakly inhibited Kv1.1 and IRK1 channels. 6. It is concluded that ISDN inhibits an endogenous K+ conductance in Xenopus oocytes with a similar potency to that shown by expressed IsK channels. These effects are independent of the second messenger NO.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Barium; Cysteine; Electrophysiology; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Isosorbide Dinitrate; Kinetics; Oocytes; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Potassium Channels; Rats; RNA, Complementary; S-Nitrosothiols; Vasodilator Agents; Xenopus laevis

Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be both an intercellular and intracellular messenger. We propose here that exogenous NO induces chemotactic locomotion of human neutrophils. Indeed, when human neutrophils were placed in a gradient of a nitric oxide donor (S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine; SNAP), a directed locomotion was induced, as evidenced by experiments of chemotaxis under agarose. Degraded SNAP (i.e., SNAP solution which had previously released NO) did not induce directed locomotion. Moreover, oxyhemoglobin, a scavenger of free NO, suppressed the chemotactic effect of SNAP, whereas LY-83583, a soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, inhibited the SNAP-mediated chemotaxis in a dose-response manner. Other unrelated NO donors, SIN-1 and S-nitroso-cysteine--a natural S-nitroso-compound, also induced a directed locomotion of neutrophils. Taken together, these in vitro experiments indicate that exogenous NO could mediate the chemotaxis of neutrophils and thus suggest that NO could contribute to neutrophil recruitment in vivo.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Cells, Cultured; Chemotactic Factors; Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; Cysteine; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Molsidomine; Neutrophils; Nitric Oxide; Penicillamine; S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; S-Nitrosothiols

In Xenopus oocytes expressing slowly activating IsK channels superfusion with the nitroso-donor S-Nitroso-Cysteine (SNOC) resulted in an increase of IsK, which was greatly enhanced when the amino acid-exchanger rBAT was coexpressed. The effects of SNOC on IsK could not be prevented by the guanylate cyclase inhibitor LY-83,583 and the cGMP kinase inhibitor H8, but was abolished in the presence of staurosporine. SNOC also increased the currents induced by the expression of protein mutants lacking intracellular sites, previously described to be involved in IsK regulation by oxidation and phosphorylation. These data suggest that the NO-donor SNOC regulates IsK indirectly via a cGMP independent, but staurosporine sensitive, pathway.

Topics: Alkaloids; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Cysteine; Female; Guanylate Cyclase; Isoquinolines; Kinetics; Membrane Potentials; Nitroso Compounds; Oocytes; Potassium Channels; Protein Kinase C; S-Nitrosothiols; Staurosporine; Xenopus laevis

1. The relaxant responses of S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CysNO), S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP), S-nitroso-N-acetyl-L-cysteine (SNAC) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) in the rat gastric fundus (forestomach) were studied and compared to the relaxant responses obtained in response to nitric oxide (NO) and electrical field stimulation (EFS, 10 s strains) of non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) nerves. 2. CysNO (10(-7)-3 x 10(-4) M) caused transient relaxation of the precontracted rat gastric fundus, comparable to the response to NO (10(-6)-10(-4) M) and EFS. SNAP, SNAC and GSNO elicited more sustained relaxations. 3. The cyclic GMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, zaprinast (3 x 10(-5) M) increased the relaxant effect of CysNO, SNAP and GSNO while the NO-synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG, 3 x 10(-4) M) had no influence. 4. In the presence of LY 83583 (10(-5) M), which releases superoxide anions, the relaxant response to NO and CysNO was decreased, whereas that to all other stimuli was unaltered. The inhibitory effect of LY 83583 on CsNO-induced relaxations was prevented by superoxide dismutase (SOD, 1000 u ml-1). 5. Tissues incubated for 1 h with 5.5 x 10(-4) M nitroglycerin (GTN) became tolerant to GTN. In this condition, the relaxant response to 10(-5) M NO was maintained, while the relaxations by EFS (8 Hz) and 3 x 10(-5) M SNAP were significantly decreased. The reduction of the response to the other S-nitrosothiols was not significant. 6. The combination of nitrate tolerance and 10-5 M LY 83583 caused a significantly larger inhibition of the relaxant response to EFS (8 Hz) than nitrate tolerance alone. The combination of LY 83583 and GTN tolerance reduced the relaxant effect of 10-5 M NO to a similar extent to LY 83583 alone, while the relaxant response to 10-4 M GTN was reduced to the same extent as after 1 h exposure to 5.5 x 10-4 M GTN alone.7. It is concluded that S-nitrosothiols potently relax the rat gastric fundus, possibly by a cyclic GMP-dependent mechanism and S-nitrosothiols such as SNAC and GSNO may be involved in NANC neurotransmission.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Cysteine; Drug Tolerance; Electric Stimulation; Female; Gastric Fundus; Glutathione; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Nitric Oxide; Nitroglycerin; Nitroso Compounds; Penicillamine; Rats; Rats, Wistar; S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; S-Nitrosoglutathione; S-Nitrosothiols