Constitutive nitric oxide production in bovine aortic and brain microvascular endothelial cells: a comparative study
Vascular endothelium constitutively generates nitric oxide (NO) in large vessels and induces a relaxation of smooth muscle cells. However, little is known about the production of NO in microvessels, where smooth muscle layers are thin or absent. In this study, we have compared the constitutive produ...
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Published in | The Journal of physiology Vol. 554; no. 3; pp. 721 - 730 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
9600 Garsington Road , Oxford , OX4 2DQ , UK
The Physiological Society
01.02.2004
Blackwell Publishing Ltd Blackwell Science Inc |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Vascular endothelium constitutively generates nitric oxide (NO) in large vessels and induces a relaxation of smooth muscle
cells. However, little is known about the production of NO in microvessels, where smooth muscle layers are thin or absent.
In this study, we have compared the constitutive production of NO in bovine brain microvascular endothelial cells (BBECs)
with that in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). ATP, acetylcholine (ACh) and A23187 induced Ca 2+ transients both in BBECs and BAECs. In contrast, although ATP and A23187 evoked a similar degree of [Ca 2+ ] i increase in both types of cell, they failed to induce NO production in BBECs, as measured with an NO-sensitive fluorescent
dye DAF-2, whereas in BAECs there was an increase in DAF-2 fluorescence. Hypotonic stress induced ATP release and subsequent
NO production in BAECs, but not in BBECs. We have developed an in vitro model vessel system that consists of aortic smooth muscle cells embedded in a collagen gel lattice and overlaid with endothelial
cells. Precontracted gels showed relaxation in response to ACh, when BAECs were overlaid. However, ACh-induced relaxation
was not observed in BBEC-overlaid gels. Expression of eNOS protein as well as cellular uptake of l -[ 3 H]arginine were significantly lower in BBECs than in BAECs. These results indicate that Ca 2+ -dependent NO production is at an undetectable level in BBEC, for which at least two factors, i.e. low levels of eNOS expression
and l -arginine uptake, are responsible. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0022-3751 1469-7793 |
DOI: | 10.1113/jphysiol.2003.057059 |