title: Nitric oxide: perspectives and emerging studies of a well known cytotoxin.
abstract: The free radical nitric oxide (NO(*)) is known to play a dual role in human physiology and pathophysiology. At low levels, NO(*) can protect cells; however, at higher levels, NO(*) is a known cytotoxin, having been implicated in tumor angiogenesis and progression. While the majority of research devoted to understanding the role of NO(*) in cancer has to date been tissue-specific, we herein review underlying commonalities of NO(*) which may well exist among tumors arising from a variety of different sites. We also discuss the role of NO(*) in human physiology and pathophysiology, including the very important relationship between NO(*) and the glutathione-transferases, a class of protective enzymes involved in cellular protection. The emerging role of NO(*) in three main areas of epigenetics-DNA methylation, microRNAs, and histone modifications-is then discussed. Finally, we describe the recent development of a model cell line system in which human tumor cell lines were adapted to high NO(*) (HNO) levels. We anticipate that these HNO cell lines will serve as a useful tool in the ongoing efforts to better understand the role of NO(*) in cancer.
authors: Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; E-Mails: paradise@uic.edu (W.A.P.); vesperbe@uic.edu (B.J.V.).
authors: William A
authors: WA
authors: Paradise
authors: Benjamin J
authors: BJ
authors: Vesper
authors: Ajay
authors: A
authors: Goel
authors: Joshua D
authors: JD
authors: Waltonen
authors: Kenneth W
authors: KW
authors: Altman
authors: G Kenneth
authors: GK
authors: Haines
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Radosevich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D051549:Glutathione S-Transferase pi / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003603:Cytotoxins; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D051549:Glutathione S-Transferase pi