title: Induced nitric oxide synthesis is dependent on induced alternatively spliced CAT-2 encoding L-arginine transport in brain astrocytes.
abstract: The inducible isoform II of nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) was recently cloned from brain and identified in astroglial cells. Induced nitric oxide biosynthesis occurs in brain cells only if extracellular cerebrospinal fluid contains -arginine. This study demonstrates for the first time that induced iNOS activity is strictly dependent on concomitant induction of an alternatively spliced transcript of the cat-2 gene encoding high affinity -arginine transporter System y+ in cultured rat astrocytes. Inhibition profiles of radiolabeled -arginine and -leucine uptake identified the dominance of Na+-independent transport System y+ serving cationic amino acids, with insignificant activities of Systems y+L, bo,+, or Bo,+. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction/sequencing/cloning strategy was used to identify a single 123-base nucleotide sequence coding the high affinity domain of alternatively spliced CAT-2 (not CAT-2a) in astrocytes activated by lipopolysaccharide/interferon-gamma. Using this sequence as a cDNA probe, it was determined that CAT-2 mRNA, iNOS mRNA, and System y+ activity were concomitantly and strongly induced in astrocytes. Constitutive CAT-1 mRNA was weakly present in neurons and astrocytes, was not inducible in either cell type, and contributed <3% to total System y+ activity. Although astroglial iNOS Km approximately 10 microM L-arginine for intracellular substrate, hyperbolic kinetics of inducible iNOS activity measured as a function of extracellular L-arginine concentration gave Km approximately 50 microM L-arginine with intact cells. The same Km approximately 50 microM was obtained for induced membrane transport System y+ activity. iNOS activity was reduced to zero in the absence of extracellular L-arginine uptake via System y+. These findings expand the current understanding of NO biosynthesis modulation and implicate a coordinated regulation of intracellular iNOS enzyme activity with membrane L-arginine transport in brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610-0274, USA.
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kakuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Vo
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Raizada
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001692:Biological Transport; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D015870:Gene Expression; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D011991:Receptors, Virus; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011991:Receptors, Virus; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C070506:ecotropic murine leukemia virus receptor; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase