title: Cardiac expression and distribution of nitric oxide synthases in the ventricle of the cold-adapted Antarctic teleosts, the hemoglobinless Chionodraco hamatus and the red-blooded Trematomus bernacchii.
abstract: The presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was investigated in the ventricle of two Antarctic teleosts, the hemoglobinless icefish Chionodraco hamatus and its red-blooded counterpart, Trematomus bernacchii. Under unstimulated conditions, in both teleosts, NADPH-diaphorase localised NOS activity in the endocardial-endothelial cells (EEc) and in the myocardiocytes. Application of anti-mammalian endothelial and inducible NOS (eNOS and iNOS, respectively) primary antibodies for immunofluorescence revealed a comparable tissue-specific basal expression of the two isoforms in the two species. eNOS strongly localised at the level of the EEc and, in T. bernacchii, of the vascular endothelium (VE). The enzyme is also localised, albeit to less extent, within the myocardiocytes, and in the epicardium. In contrast, iNOS immunostaining only labels the cytoplasm of the ventricular myocytes. Western blotting analysis identified two peptides with molecular masses of about 135 and 130kDa, similar to those of the mammalian eNOS and iNOS. To verify whether this NOS system is susceptible to septic stimulation, C. hamatus and T. bernacchii were exposed to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The treatment did not modify the distribution pattern of the two isoenzymes while it increased the amount of NADPH-diaphorase-dependent reaction product and the expression of both eNOS and iNOS. These results indicate a high phylogenetic conservation of the intracardiac NOS system, emphasizing its importance in the control of the vertebrate heart and its relevance as a general mechanism of defense against pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology, University of Calabria, 87030 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amelio
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tota
authors.forename: Maria Carmela
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cerra
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D000818:Animals; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000201:enzymology*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase