Role of epithelial nitric oxide in airway viral infection.
The airway mucosal epithelium is the first site of virus contact with the host, and the main site of infection and inflammation. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by the airway epithelium is vital to antiviral inflammatory and immune defense in the lung. Multiple mechanisms function coordinately to support high-level basal NO synthesis in healthy airway epithelium and further induction of NO synthesis in the infected airway of normal hosts. Hosts deficient in NO synthesis, such as those patients with cystic fibrosis, have impaired antiviral defense and may benefit from therapies to augment NO levels in the airways.
Xu
Weiling
W
Department of Pathobiology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave., NC 20, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. xuw@ccf.org
Zheng
Shuo
S
Dweik
Raed A
RA
Erzurum
Serpil C
SC
D000818:Animals; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase