title: L-Citrulline recycle for synthesis of NO in cerebral perivascular nerves and endothelial cells.
abstract: Recycle of L-citrulline to form L-arginine in cerebral perivascular nerves has been well described, providing direct evidence that nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized and released from these nerves to act as the transmitter for vasodilation. NO is also synthesized and released from cerebral endothelial cells, involving L-citrulline conversion to L-arginine. Evidence for the presence of enzymes involved in the conversion, however, has not been shown. The presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), and argininosuccinate lyase (ASL), and their coexistence with NADPH-diaphorase (NADPHd), a marker for NOS, in endothelial cells of middle cerebral arteries and the circle of Willis of the pig, therefore, were examined using combined immunohistochemical and histochemical techniques. NOS-, ASS-, and ASL-immunoreactivities were found in almost all endothelial cells of all cerebral arteries examined. All ASS-, ASL-, and NOS-immunoreactive (I) endothelial cells also stained positively for NADPHd, suggesting that ASS, ASL, and NOS were colocalized in endothelial cells of middle cerebral arteries and the circle of Willis. These results provide morphological evidence that cerebral vascular endothelial cells like cerebral perivascular nerves contain enzymes necessary for recycling L-citrulline to L-arginine to synthesize NO via an argininosuccinate (AS) pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University, School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9629, USA.
authors.forename: Tony J F
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jun-Ge
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001123:Argininosuccinate Lyase / Q000378:metabolism; D001124:Argininosuccinate Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D002941:Circle of Willis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D002956:Citrulline / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D002956:Citrulline; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase; D001123:Argininosuccinate Lyase; D001124:Argininosuccinate Synthase