title: Alkalosis stimulates endothelial nitric oxide synthase in cultured human pulmonary arterial endothelial cells.
abstract: To investigate the effect of extracellular pH on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in human pulmonary arteries, we measured eNOS activity and expression as well as some ion channels in human pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (HPAEC) exposed to various pH levels (6.6-8.0). eNOS activity was found to increase with alkalization and decrease with acidification, while Ca2+ uptake into HPAEC increased with alkalization. The addition of 3',4'-dichlorobenzamil hydrochloride, an inhibitor of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX), prevented the increase of eNOS activity with alkalosis. Exposure to alkalosis and acidosis increased eNOS and NCX mRNA levels. These results suggest that an elevation of extracellular pH activates eNOS via the influx of extracellular Ca2+ and that NCX also regulates eNOS activity during alkalosis. Furthermore, NCX may have a tight interaction with eNOS at the level of transcription and might affect pulmonary circulation during alkalosis and acidosis.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Fukui Medical University, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Demura
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameshima
authors.forename: Seitaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miyamori
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000378:metabolism; D000471:Alkalosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002956:Citrulline / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger; D002956:Citrulline; D012964:Sodium; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D002118:Calcium