title: Nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in the nucleus revisited.
abstract: Recent work from our group showed that the nuclear envelope membranes contain several G protein-coupled receptors, including prostaglandin E2 (EP3R) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) receptors. Activation of EP3R increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) RNA expression in nuclei. eNOS and inducible NOS (iNOS) are reported to also be present at the nuclear level. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also localized at the nuclear level. In this review, we show that stimulation with NO donor sodium nitroprusside results in an increase of intranuclear calcium that was dependent on guanylate cyclase activation, but independent of MAPK. This increase in nuclear calcium correlated with an increase in nuclear transcription of iNOS. H2O2 and ET-1 increase both cytosolic and nuclear ROS in human endocardial endothelial cells and in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. This increase in ROS levels by H2O2 and ET-1 was reversed by the antioxidant glutathione. In addition, our results strongly suggest that cytosolic signalization is not only transmitted to the nucleus but is also generated by the nucleus. Furthermore, we demonstrate that oxidative stress can be sensed by the nucleus. These results highly suggest that ROS formation is also generated directly by the nucleus and that free radicals may contribute to ET-1 regulation of nuclear Ca2+ homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Chantale
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Provost
authors.forename: Faten
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Choufani
authors.forename: Levon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Avedanian
authors.forename: Ghassan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bkaily
authors.forename: Fernand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gobeil
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jacques
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide