title: Dual role of nitric oxide in pancreatic β-cells.
abstract: An involvement of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) in pancreatic β-cell degeneration during the process of type 1 diabetes has been well discussed. Recently, there is growing evidence for pivotal roles of constitutive NOS (cNOS) in β-cells; the presence of NOS1 and NOS3 in pancreatic β-cells and the effects of low-concentration NO, which is assumed to be derived from cNOS, on β-cell functions have been reported. However, the roles of cNOS-derived NO in β-cells are still under debate. One of the reasons seems to be that NO has multiple biological activities, which are dependent on its concentration. In β-cells, NO has been shown to exert positive and negative regulation of insulin secretion and anti- and pro-apoptotic activities, which is likely to be dependent on concentrations. In this review article, we will describe the current understanding of the roles of NO in pancreatic β-cells, especially focusing on cNOS-derived NO and its differential roles depending on concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurohane Kaneko
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002460:Cell Line; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase