title: N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of nitric oxide from L-arginine.
abstract: Authentic N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine was synthesized and used to determine whether it is an intermediate in nitric oxide (.NO) synthesis from L-arginine by macrophage .NO synthase. The apparent Km (6.6 microM) and Vmax (99 nmol x min-1 x mg-1) observed with N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine were similar to those observed with L-arginine (Km = 2.3 microM; Vmax = 54 mumol x min-1 x mg-1). N omega-Hydroxy-D-arginine was not a substrate. Stable isotope studies showed that .NO synthase exclusively oxidized the hydroxylated nitrogen of N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine, forming .NO and L-citrulline. As with L-arginine, O2 was the source of the ureido oxygen in L-citrulline from N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine. In the presence of excess N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine, .NO synthase generated a metabolite of L-[14C]arginine that cochromatographed with authentic N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine. The labeled metabolite exhibited identical chromatographic behavior in three solvent systems and generated the same product (L-citrulline) upon alkaline hydrolysis as authentic N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine. Experiments were then run to identify which redox cofactor (NADPH or tetrahydrobiopterin) participated in the enzymatic synthesis of N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine. Both cofactors were required for synthesis of .NO from either N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine or L-arginine. However, with L-arginine, the synthesis of 1 mol of .NO was coupled to the oxidation of 1.52 +/- 0.02 mol of NADPH; whereas with N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine, only 0.53 +/- 0.04 mol of NADPH was oxidized per mol of .NO formed. These results support a mechanism in which N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine is generated as an intermediate in .NO synthesis through an NADPH-dependent hydroxylation of L-arginine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York 10021.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stuehr
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Nathan
authors.forename: O W
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiseman
mesh_terms: D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005609:Free Radicals; D006900:Hydroxylation; D007700:Kinetics; D008264:Macrophages / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C007985:N(5)-hydroxy-L-arginine; D009249:NADP; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases