title: Nitric oxide in the nervous system: biochemical, developmental, and neurobiological aspects.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a very reactive molecule, and its short half-life would make it virtually invisible until its discovery. NO activates soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), increasing 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels to activate PKGs. Although NO triggers several phosphorylation cascades due to its ability to react with Fe II in heme-containing proteins such as sGC, it also promotes a selective posttranslational modification in cysteine residues by S-nitrosylation, impacting on protein function, stability, and allocation. In the central nervous system (CNS), NO synthesis usually requires a functional coupling of nitric oxide synthase I (NOS I) and proteins such as NMDA receptors or carboxyl-terminal PDZ ligand of NOS (CAPON), which is critical for specificity and triggering of selected pathways. NO also modulates CREB (cAMP-responsive element-binding protein), ERK, AKT, and Src, with important implications for nerve cell survival and differentiation. Differences in the regulation of neuronal death or survival by NO may be explained by several mechanisms involving localization of NOS isoforms, amount of NO being produced or protein sets being modulated. A number of studies show that NO regulates neurotransmitter release and different aspects of synaptic dynamics, such as differentiation of synaptic specializations, microtubule dynamics, architecture of synaptic protein organization, and modulation of synaptic efficacy. NO has also been associated with synaptogenesis or synapse elimination, and it is required for long-term synaptic modifications taking place in axons or dendrites. In spite of tremendous advances in the knowledge of NO biological effects, a full description of its role in the CNS is far from being completely elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cossenza
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Socodato
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Portugal
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivan C L
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Domith
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luis F H
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Gladulich
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thaísa G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Encarnação
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Calaza
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campello-Costa
authors.affiliation: Programa de Neurociências, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil. Electronic address: robpaes@vm.uff.br.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paes-de-Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: Cyclic GMP/PKG pathway; Neurotransmitters; Retina; S-nitrosylation; Synaptic plasticity